


Come What May

by waterbottlehead



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-18
Updated: 2016-06-28
Packaged: 2018-05-14 18:30:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 63,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5753755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waterbottlehead/pseuds/waterbottlehead
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. After Ashlyn's girlfriend died, Ali was the one who healed her broken heart. They are now happily married and have a 5 year old son. What happens when someone from the past returns?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Ali woke up with Ashlyn's warm body still curled up around her from behind. The brunette smiled and placed her hand on Ashlyn's arm that was draped over her waist, gently rubbing the soft skin. Ashlyn let out a small, content sigh at the contact and pulled her even closer, burying her face in Ali's dark locks. Ali's smile widened. She loved when Ashlyn was like this, adorable and sleepy, her mind free from any worries. 

She would've been content to stay in this position for hours longer but her bladder seemed to have other plans. She carefully untangled herself from Ashlyn's arms and slipped out of bed. Ashlyn let out a grumble of protest and her hands unconsciously moved to the empty space beside her, searching for her wife. Ali watched her lovingly for a second before leaning down to press a soothing kiss to her cheek which caused her furrowed brow to even out as she drifted off into a more peaceful sleep.

When Ali returned from her bathroom visit, she quietly climbed into bed again, this time lying face-to-face to Ashlyn. She lifted her hand to gently brush the hair out of Ashlyn's face before placing a light kiss on the blonde's lips. Ashlyn stirred and a moment later, tired hazel eyes slowly fluttered open.

Ali momentarily felt bad for waking Ashlyn but it was Saturday and Milo’s tee-ball game was set for 11 am. The clock on their bedside table read 7:45 and she selfishly hoped she could get some attention from her wife before their son woke up. 

“Good morning, babe.”

“Morning.” Ashlyn mumbled tiredly, nestling her head back into the pillow as her eyes drifted shut again.

Ali chuckled and lazily traced her fingers up and down Ashlyn's arm. “Don’t fall back asleep on me.”

Ashlyn groaned dramatically and rolled over. "Leave me alone."

Ali rolled over as well and climbed on top of Ashlyn who was trying her best to hide a smile. Ali rolled her eyes knowingly and brushed Ashlyn’s hair aside before starting a slow trail of kisses down the back of her neck. She teasingly brushed her lips against the shell of her wife's ear, gently nibbling on her earlobe. Ashlyn's breath hitched in response and Ali smirked against her skin. She was definitely awake now.

Ali was taken by surprise when Ashlyn suddenly turned around and placed her hands on Ali's hips, flipping them over. Ashlyn captured Ali's lips in a sweet kiss and Ali wrapped her arms around the blonde's neck, bringing her closer. She moaned as Ashlyn’s lips danced along her jawline and down to her neck, leaving open mouthed kisses on the sensitive skin.

She wrapped her legs around Ashlyn's waist and her hands had just found the hem of her wife's shirt when they were interrupted by a soft knock on the door.

"Mommy, can I come in?" Milo’s sleepy voice asked, already getting ready to turn the knob.

Ashlyn's eyes widened comically and she quickly scrambled off Ali, causing her to fall to the ground with a loud thud. She gritted her teeth and clutched her head in pain, clumsily trying to pull herself into a seated position.

"Shit babe." Ali whispered, climbing off the bed and kneeling next to her wife. She helped her sit up and pried her hands away from her face, examining the damage and sighing in relief when there was no bruising. "Are you okay? Do I have to take you to the hospital?"

Ashlyn cracked a small smile. "I'm fine, Alex."

Ali placed a feather-light kiss on Ashlyn's forehead before turning to their son. “Good morning, honey.” 

“Why is momma on the floor?” Milo walked into the room, rubbing his eyes.

“I was just… cleaning dust.” Ashlyn replied sheepishly, glaring at Ali who was holding back her laughter at the flushed look on her face.

Luckily, Milo just shrugged and looked up at Ali. “Mommy, I want cereal." 

Ali pursed her lips and ran her hands through his dark hair. "Why don’t you go brush your teeth first? I’ll be right down." 

“Wait, aren’t I getting a hug from my favorite boy?” Ashlyn said, feigning heartbreak by placing her hand on her chest. Milo grinned and dashed forward, running into her arms. She smiled and caught him easily. "You ready for your game today, buddy?" 

"Sure! I'm going to make a touchdown." 

“It's called a home run.” Ashlyn tickled his sides. “Touchdown is for football, remember?" 

"Oh okay. A homer run then!" 

Ashlyn laughed and pulled him into a bear hug. Ali watched them wrestle and sighed. There was no way she was getting any attention from her wife now but she wasn’t all that mad about it. She pulled on a pair of sweats and Ashlyn shot her a questioning look.

Ali winked at her. "We'll finish later." 

Ashlyn pouted jokingly while pulling Milo off her neck. Ali shook her head in amusement and headed for the door when she remembered something. "Sweetie, didn't I tell you to go brush your teeth?" 

Milo narrowed his eyes in disapproval. 

Ali smiled. He was so much like Ashlyn. "How about you help me make pancakes when you're done?" 

Milo’s head perked up with newfound interest. "Yeah I want to make some panty cakes!" 

Ashlyn’s eyebrows pinched together. "Panty cakes? Really?" 

“Definitely a son of yours.” Ali remarked, walking out of the room as Milo shot past her to the bathroom. "Slow down, Milo." 

She walked down the stairs, upset that she had forgotten to put on her slippers since the hardwood floor was so cold. She went to the thermostat to turn down the air before making her way into the kitchen. Her phone suddenly rang and she frowned in confusion when she saw her brother’s name flash across the screen.

“Hello?”

“Hey, how late is Milo’s game today?”

“Kyle, why are you up so early?” Ali asked, still confused, while grabbing the ingredients she needed to make pancakes. 

“Max and I had a fight last night so he slept on the couch while I tossed and turned all night.” 

Ali sighed, leaning against the counter. “A fight about what?”

“It doesn’t matter. Just answer the question, how late is Milo’s game?”

Ali sighed again as she turned on the coffee machine. “At 11. Why?”

“Great!” Kyle cheered, and Ali winced at the loudness of his voice. It was definitely too early for this. “Noah has a game at the same park at 12 so we’ll see you guys there." 

“Alright. See you there.”

“Love you.”

Ali smiled a little. “Love you too.”

She ended the call and turned around to see Milo standing there with his arms folded across his chest. "Mommy, you said I could make the panty cakes." 

"Let me see those teeth first." 

Milo smiled a big smile for her just as Ashlyn stepped behind him, ruffling his hair. "Babe, why don't you let me and Milo make breakfast today?” 

"Are you serious?" Ali asked skeptically, knowing how much Ashlyn hated making pancakes.

Ashlyn stepped closer to Ali and slipped one arm around Ali’s waist, capturing her lips in a chaste kiss before slipping her other arm around Ali's waist too, bringing her hands to the hem of her wife’s shirt and slightly lifting it up to run her fingers over her warm skin, smiling when she felt her shudder at her touch. “This means you owe me twice.”

Ali loosely draped her arms around Ashlyn’s neck and leaned in to brush her lips against her ear. “Don’t worry about that.”

Milo impatiently wrapped his arms around Ashlyn’s leg. "Let's make panty cakes!"

Ali smiled and pulled away from Ashlyn’s embrace. "I’ll go get dressed and get his uniform ready." 

As Ali was leaving the kitchen, she glanced over her shoulder and watched Ashlyn help Milo step up a step stool before handing him the wooden spoon to stir. Her heart warmed up at the sight and she sighed happily. She loved her family.

\-----

Ali set up her lawn chair next to the cooler that Ashlyn had dropped in their usual spot. She then set up Ashlyn’s chair but she knew that she wouldn't be sitting in it anyway. During every game, Ashlyn was in the dugout more than the coach was. Ashlyn of course thought that Milo could now hit the ball without the stationary tee despite Ali telling her to let the coach decide. 

She put on her shades and leaned back when she heard her name being called. She looked up to see Kyle, Max and Noah walking towards her. A smile broke out across her face when Noah ran up to her to give her a hug. "Noah! Don't you look cute in your uniform?”

Noah smiled shyly. “Hi aunt Ali.”

“Which side of the park are you playing on later?”

Noah pointed to the further left side of the park. "Over there I think.” 

“Cool! We’ll come watch.”

“Where's Milo?" 

Ali nodded at the dugout closest to them and sighed when she saw that Ashlyn was in there talking animatedly with the coach. Noah ran off in that direction and Max followed him after greeting Ali. 

Ali glanced up at her brother. “You okay?”

Kyle unfolded one of their chairs and took a seat next to Ali. "Al, can I ask you a personal question?" Ali nodded and he sighed before continuing. "Do you ever wonder what your life would be like if you hadn't fallen in love with Ashlyn?" 

Ali immediately knew what was going on. She was surprised it had taken her brother so many years to get there. Kyle was a hobo at heart. Ali had never envisioned him living a domestic lifestyle and knew he had only signed up for it because he had fallen in love with Max. 

"Kyle, I was lost before Ashlyn so no, I never think about that." 

Kyle shot her a look. "And you call me the dramatic one?”

“We’ve been through so much together. You know, with Sierra dying… I thought the light would never return to Ashlyn’s eyes but I was the one who eventually brought it back and…” She paused to swallow the lump in her throat. “That means everything to me.”

Kyle gave her a small smile. “Does she ever talk about her?”

“Sometimes.” Ali pursed her lips, her eyes traveling towards Ashlyn and their son. Ashlyn and Sierra hadn’t met in an ordinary way. Sierra had been harassed by a stalker for a long time and Ashlyn had been assigned to her case. As a detective, she had learned to be professional but they had quickly grown close regardless. Unfortunately, Ashlyn hadn’t been able to save her and Ali knew she still beat herself up for it. Sighing, she looked at Kyle again. “I was empty before I fell in love with Ashlyn and I wouldn’t give her up for the world.”

“Alex, you were with Stan before Ashlyn and although I love Ashlyn to death, I seriously doubt that man made you feel empty." 

“Stan?” Ali’s eyebrows shot all the way to her hairline at the mention of her ex. “What?”

Kyle slumped further in his chair and glanced away. "Forget it." 

Ali huffed in annoyance. "Kyle, let me give you some advice. That man over there standing next to your son, loves you more than anything. That kind of love is not something you toss aside for wanderlust. I don't know what's gotten you so restless but reflect on what brought you back to town in the first place. You lived the party life and found nothing in it. Trust me, in the years you've been out of that scene nothing has changed." 

Kyle contemplated her words, staring at Max who was talking to Ashlyn. "I know you’re right but I am who I am and right now I need something. I just don't know what it is.”

Ali frowned. "Well, I can tell you what it isn't and that's Stan.”

“Why do you hate the man? He still speaks fondly of you." 

Ali pulled her shades off her face. "Kyle, stay away from him. I mean it." 

From the corner of her eye, she saw Milo step up to the plate, ready to hit the ball on the tee. She got up and gave her brother one last warning glance before walking over to watch her son swing the bat under Ashlyn's instructions. 

\-----

After the game, they stopped by Ali’s mom to drop off Milo for a couple of hours as promised. Ali had packed a change of clothes which she handed to Ashlyn who got out of the car to walk him to the door. Deb let Milo inside and waved at Ali. 

Ali waved back and waited until Ashlyn was seated in the car again before backing out of the driveway. 

"I still say that Milo doesn't need the tee anymore." Ashlyn mused out loud. When Ali didn’t respond, she looked at her wife who appeared to be lost in thought. "What's wrong?" 

“Kyle.”

Ashlyn reached out to place her hand on Ali’s thigh. “What happened?”

“I think he’s been talking to Stan.”

“What?” Ashlyn asked, pulling her hand away.

Ali briefly pulled her eyes off the road to look at Ashlyn. “It’s just a feeling.”

“Based on what?”

Ali sighed and focused her eyes ahead again, the slight irritation in Ashlyn’s voice not going undetected. “Just something he said. I hope I’m wrong.”

"Me too." Ashlyn muttered under her breath. 

When they arrived home, Ashlyn went to get the mail while Ali headed inside. All she really wanted to do was relax so she decided to take a shower.

She sighed contentedly as the warm water and hot steam of the shower enveloped her. She was just about to grab the bottle of shampoo when the sound of the shower door sliding open made her jump. She turned around and her features softened when her eyes met hazel ones. Realization washed over her when she noticed that Ashlyn was naked and she smirked. 

“Hello there, Mrs. Krieger-Harris.” She stepped backwards to give Ashlyn some room. 

“Hello yourself, Mrs. Krieger-Harris.” Ashlyn grinned and stepped under the spray of water.

"Are you okay?" Ali asked softly as she moved closer to Ashlyn, her hand reaching up to gently cup the taller woman's cheek. Ashlyn gazed back at her and smiled, nodding. Ali was silent for a moment, smoothing her thumb over the apple of Ashlyn's cheek. "I’m sorry for bringing up Stan.”

Ashlyn exhaled slowly. "You don’t have to apologize for that, Alex."

Ali brushed the hair out of Ashlyn's face and kissed her lightly. “I know you don’t like him." 

“I just don’t like how your mom still wishes you were with him instead of me.”

Ali felt her heart clench in her chest at the sadness in Ashlyn’s voice. “That’s because she has never really taken the chance to get to know you better.”

“It’s been 7 years.” 

“I know, baby.” Ali murmured.

Ashlyn wrapped her arms around Ali’s waist and pulled her closer, resting their foreheads together. "Please let me hold you?"

Ali smiled and turned around. Ashlyn pressed a kiss to her shoulder before resting her chin on it, tightening her arms around her waist. They should there like that for a long time, Ashlyn hugging Ali from behind, their bodies pressed together, as the warm water cascaded over them.

After they had gotten out of the shower, Ashlyn snuck up behind Ali and started decorating her neck with kisses. Ali moaned and let her head fall back on Ashlyn’s shoulder when the blonde reached the crook of her neck. 

In one swift motion, Ashlyn turned Ali around and their lips crashed together. Ashlyn pushed Ali back against the wall and Ali encircled Ashlyn's neck with her arms. They were soon losing their breath and Ashlyn's lips traveled back to Ali's neck.

Ali moaned when Ashlyn moved all the way down to her collarbone, sucking on it and lightly biting down on it. She let her hands roam over Ashlyn’s toned stomach, scratching her nails up and down the blonde's abs. 

Ashlyn groaned and lifted Ali who instinctively wrapped her legs around Ashlyn's waist. Ashlyn carried her into the bedroom and lowered her on the bed, climbing on top of her. “You owe me twice, remember?”

Ali’s eyes darkened with lust. “Oh believe me, I remember.”


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

“Harris speaking.”

"It’s Krieger-Harris." Ali scolded playfully, holding her phone to her ear with her shoulder as she unlocked her car door. “Are you going to make it today?”

Ashlyn sighed and leaned back in her chair. “You know I don’t want to miss it but we’ve got a raid and I have to be there.”

Ali climbed into the driver’s seat, trying not to be annoyed. “Your son will be devastated.” She knew it was a low-blow but all Milo had been talking about lately was this open house thing at his school. She pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration when it remained silent on the other end of the line. “I’m sorry, Ash. I know you can’t help it.”

"Look, tell Milo that I will definitely take him on his first day of school next week." Ashlyn said, looking up when there was a knock on the window of her office.

"I think he would like that.” Ali replied softly. “Plus I have to be at court early that morning so it would be perfect.”

"Are you taking your mom to open house?" Ashlyn asked, signaling for Whitney to come in.

"I guess I could call her.” Ali pulled down the sun visor to check her mascara in the small mirror. “But you know she's a retired teacher and I don't feel like having a debate about which school we’ve chosen for Milo again.”

“I’m sorry, honey, but Whit wants to talk to me so I’ve really got to go. Just call your mom, okay? I’m sure it’ll be fine. We’ll talk about it tonight.”

“Okay. I love you.”

“Love you too.”

Ali tossed her phone inside her bag. She wished they didn't have such demanding careers but that was just the way it was. Milo was their priority but every now and then they missed their target with him. Her mom was a great help, especially since Ashlyn’s parents lived far away, but Ali prefered not including her in major events that affected the way she and Ashlyn raised their son.

She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment before picking up her phone again. Maybe Ashlyn was right and her mom could provide some helpful insight into the school program and Milo's teacher.

"Hey sweetie." Deb picked up the phone after the first ring.

"Hey mom, what are you up to?" 

"Getting Milo ready for you to pick him up." 

"Well, Ashlyn has to work late and I was thinking, maybe you could join us to open house." She said, glancing at her watch. She wondered if she’d be able to make it home on time to change first. Traffic was usually bad around this time. “We could grab some dinner afterwards.”

"Open house is important. Doesn't Ashlyn know that?" 

Ali had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep herself from getting angry. “Of course she knows that. Do you want to come or not?”

"Oh yes, I would love to. I'll get ready." 

"I’ll be there in an hour or so. I'm going home to change first.” Ali said, hanging up without waiting for a response. She knew that her mom didn’t hate Ashlyn, but she would never think they were a right fit which annoyed Ali beyond belief.

\------

Whitney leaned against Ashlyn’s desk, looking at her in concern. "Everything okay?" 

Ashlyn looked up from the warrant Whitney had handed her and nodded. "Milo’s school has open house today and Ali seems a little aggravated that I can’t come." 

"I went through that with Ryan too… Don't make it a habit or you won't have any peace in your home." 

Ashlyn smiled at her colleague and long time friend. "I know." She looked down at the warrant again and shook her head. “But this warrant is all wrong. Why is the judge not allowing us access to the warehouse as well?" 

Whitney rolled her eyes. "I told her that we needed the warehouse too but I don't think she gets it. She thinks that the loading dock and boat is all we need to secure an indictment."

Ashlyn slammed the paper down on her desk in frustration. "Fine but I am telling you, this operation depends on what we find tonight. After that our cover will be blown and the whole case will fall apart!" 

Whitney nodded calmly. “I know, Ash.”

Ashlyn sighed in defeat and got up to put on her suit jacket.

\------

Ali walked into the school holding Milo's hand, smiling as he pointed at everything he saw.

"Mom, look at the giraffe!” He said in awe. “Look there's an elephant!" 

Ali admired the decorated walls on the wing of the kindergarten classrooms. Even her mom seemed to like them. She believed that the school in the town nearby was better and felt that Milo should go there, but so far this school seemed to be impressing her too. 

They walked into the classroom and Milo immediately let go of her hand to run over to the aquarium where the other kids were looking at the fish. Ali saw the little desks and chairs and smiled at her mom. "Do you think you can sit that low?" She joked. 

Deb laughed. "Nope. You know I’m old." 

Some other parents came up to them and introduced themselves. They chatted for a while before Ali continued to explore the classroom, looking down at the tags on the desks until she found Milo’s. She teared up a little, realizing how quickly her baby was growing up, but tried to hide it.

Milo ran up to her, oblivious to her inner turmoil. "Mom, they have a fish that looks like a tiny shark!" 

Ali smiled and told him to lower his voice. 

"Grandma, come see please!" Milo ignored her. He took Deb’s hand and Deb allowed him to pull her with him. 

Ali threw her hands up in frustration and figured she’d have to show him his desk later. She picked up the packet on the desk for him and opened it when a voice sounded from behind her. "Hello. Are you Mrs. Krieger-Harris?" 

She looked up to see who she assumed was Milo's teacher. The woman was petite and very attractive. She had medium-length brown hair and wore rimless glasses. She seemed to be a little older than Ali but appeared to be vibrant and youthful. Ali thought she looked somewhat familiar, though, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. 

“Yes that’s me." She smiled politely.

"I'm Eliza Stewart." The woman said warmly. “Pleased to meet you.” 

Ali looked over at Milo and her mom, and waved them over. "Milo, this is Ms. Stewart. She will be your teacher." 

Milo grinned up at her. "Hello, you're very pretty." 

Ali winced internally. She had never heard Milo refer to any woman other than her and Ashlyn as pretty. She laughed off the pang of jealousy she felt inside. What was wrong with her? 

Ms. Stewart knelt down in front of Milo. "Why thank you. You're very handsome yourself. Are you excited to start school?" 

Milo nodded his head up and down, and Ali took the momentum to grab his hand and show him his desk, watching his eyes grow big. "Oh cool, mommy, I have my own desk and it has my name on it!" 

Ali turned back to the teacher and asked her some questions about the curriculum and what was expected of Milo. Deb, of course, interjected quite often and even asked if she could sit in on the class sometimes, much to Ali’s annoyance. Ms. Stewart was very gracious and told her that they did have grandparents day and she looked forward to seeing her then.

Ali was relieved at the way she handled her mom. She seemed to be very professional which Ali liked. After a while, she excused herself to greet the other parents arriving and Ali looked across the classroom to find Milo over on the other side playing with another kid. 

"Honey, I think this is an excellent school." Deb said, beaming at Ali. 

"I’m glad you approve, mom.” Ali replied. "I think we should leave though. It's getting late." 

Ali called Milo over who looked at her in disapproval because he knew it was time to go. He walked over slowly with his head down, sulking. She grabbed his hand and led him over to where Ms. Stewart was standing to say goodbye. "It was nice to meet you. My wife will be bringing Milo to school on his first day.”

Ms. Stewart stared at her for a moment but then quickly recovered and shook her hand. Ali found it a little odd when she bent down to speak softly to Milo, but she didn’t say anything about it. "I bet you're just like your other mommy." 

Ali frowned but still didn’t say anything.

Milo just smiled at her. "I sure am! She's the best momma in the whole world, even stronger than superwoman!" 

Everyone laughed, except Ali. Instead, she tightened her hold on Milo’s hand and began to pull him out of the classroom. She didn’t know why but suddenly she wasn’t quite sure about Ms. Stewart anymore. She got weird vibes from her. 

Deb walked beside her with a scowl on her face. "That was rude." 

“What?” 

"The way she behaved when you said your wife is bringing him on his first day of school. It's like she thought you were a single parent or something because Ashlyn didn't show up." 

Ali took a deep breath to calm herself before replying. "Please don't start.”

She used the keyless entry remote to unlock the car door, and Deb narrowed her eyes grudgingly before getting in the vehicle. 

\------

Much later, Ali stirred slightly when she felt a warm body settle behind her. She slowly blinked her eyes open and looked at the clock which read 2.30 AM. She groaned and immediately closed her eyes again. 

Ashlyn tightened her arms around Ali’s waist and pressed a kiss to her shoulder. "It's just me. Go back to sleep."

"Hmm." Ali hummed sleepily, cuddling back into Ashlyn's arms. "How was work?"

"Doesn’t matter." Ashlyn whispered back, slipping her hand under Ali's shirt and drawing soothing circles on her abdomen. "I love you."

Ali reached up to run her fingers through Ashlyn's hair and tilted her head back to give the blonde a chaste kiss. "I love you too." She whispered against her lips before dropping her arm back to her side and shifting to get comfortable in Ashlyn's embrace again. "So much."

Ashlyn nuzzled her nose against the back of Ali's neck. "How was Milo’s teacher?"

“Fine.”

“You sure?” 

Ali covered Ashlyn's hand with her own and laced their fingers together. “Let’s talk about it tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

“Ash?”

Ashlyn hummed sleepily in acknowledgment. 

“Please make sure that you really take Milo on his first day. It’s important to him.”

Ashlyn flinched a little, her face scrunching up with hurt. “Of course I’ll take him. You know I’m sorry about today.”

Ali heard the hurt in Ashlyn’s voice and guilt twisted her insides. “Yeah I know, babe. Let’s just go to sleep.”

Ashlyn remained silent. Not long after, Ali heard her breathing even out and she realized that her exhausted wife had already fallen asleep. She sighed and closed her eyes, trying to get some sleep too.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your comments.

Chapter 3

Ali angrily threw her briefcase on her desk before slumping down in her chair with a sigh of defeat. She buried her face in her hands and groaned loudly, almost missing the knock on her door. 

“Ali, are you okay?”

Ali lifted her head to look at Max. “We have a major setback in the Schilling case.”

Max shut the door behind him and shoved his hands into his pockets, looking at her with an expression of contemplation. "Let me guess, the judge got the confession admitted." 

“Worse… he is allowing the DNA evidence." Ali said, running both her hands through her hair and resting her elbows on her desk. She was exhausted and couldn’t wait for this day to be over already.

"Ali, the man is guilty. You know this.”

Ali glared at him. "I'm a defense attorney. It's not my job to determine his guilt. I’m here to give him a good defense.”

“I know that.” Max’s features softened and he walked closer to her, taking a seat on the edge of her desk. “Accept the plea deal that the judge is offering. I think it's your client’s best shot." 

"I could have won this one, Max.” Ali murmured, frustrated. She really hated working with her brother in law sometimes. It was so much easier to let her emotions show through around him. “I was really close." 

Max shot her a look of sympathy and was just about to respond when there was another knock on the door. 

Kyle stuck his head inside. "Hey guys, I hope I'm not interrupting." 

Max smiled and got up. He walked over to Kyle and wrapped his arms around his neck, giving him a peck on the lips. "This is a pleasant surprise.” 

Ali fake gagged and Kyle glared at her before giving Max another kiss. She looked at them in amusement. Just this weekend, Kyle was questioning the meaning of his marriage and today he was all over the man. He changed his mind faster than she could keep up.

"I have to be in court in a hour, is this visit for me?" Max asked, pulling away from Kyle. 

"Nope, my sister and I have to meet Molly for lunch to discuss the wedding." 

Ali’s head shot up and she looked at him like a deer caught in the headlights. She had completely forgotten. Molly and Niki were one of her and Ashlyn’s closest ‘couple friends’, as Kyle liked to call it, and she was honored that she got to be a part of their wedding, with the help of Kyle since he seemed to be the most excited of them all, but she had been so busy lately that it had completely slipped her mind.

“Kyle, I forgot.” She said meekly, shrinking in shame when he shot her look of disapproval. “I have so much work to do today." 

“Alex… this is important. You can’t cancel." Kyle replied with a shake of his head, walking over to his sister's desk with his hands on his hips. Max mouthed ‘good luck’ to Ali behind Kyle’s back before walking out the door. Ali’s lips curled up into a small smile at Max’s antics and she stood up, deciding that Kyle was right.

“Fine. I just have to call mom and tell her that Ash will be picking up Milo when she gets off because it looks like I won’t be able to go home any time soon.”

\------

Ashlyn had decided to meet up with Niki for lunch that day. Ali had sent her a text to tell her that she was meeting up with Molly, and it made her realize that she hadn’t seen Niki in a while. It made her feel like a horrible friend but there wasn’t much she could do about it. Luckily, Niki seemed to understand.

She checked her hair in the reflection of the diner’s window, frowning unhappily when she saw what a tangled mess it had become as a result of the wind. She shrugged and pushed the door open, looking around to locate her friend. She smiled when she spotted her by the counter and quickly walked up to her. “Boo.”

Niki whirled around and grinned when she saw her. “I’m glad you finally decided to show up.”

“Be glad I decided to show up at all. I’m a busy woman.”

Niki placed her hand on her chest, sighing dramatically. “I feel so special.”

“Have you ordered yet?”

“Nope.” Niki said, her eyes scanning the menu that was hanging above the counter. She tapped her finger against her chin, appearing to be deep in thought, but Ashlyn knew that she was just trying to be funny as always. She had been there so many times that Ashlyn was sure she knew the menu by heart by now. “I’ll just have a cheeseburger and fries. Oh and a water.”

“I’ll have the same please.” Ashlyn added.

“Coming right up.” 

They waited until their food was ready before moving to a table in the corner.

“So, what’s up with you?”

“Nothing.” Ashlyn lowered her eyes to her plate. “Why?”

“Come on, I know you.” Niki wiped the corner of her mouth with a napkin, shooting her a look that said: ‘I see right through your bullshit and you know it’. Ashlyn did know. “I can see that you’re worried about something. Did something happen?”

“Not really.” Ashlyn mumbled, dipping a few fries into the ketchup on the corner of her plate. 

Niki studied her features for a moment before asking, “How’s Ali?”

“She’s good.” Ashlyn smiled. “Our anniversary is coming up next month and I have no idea what to do for this one.”

Niki laughed. “I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”

“I think I want to have another baby.” Ashlyn blurted out randomly, blushing furiously when she realized what she had said. 

Niki raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Really? That’s cool.”

“Yeah.” Ashlyn said with a small smile, her heart fluttering in her chest just at the idea itself. “I mean, Milo is five now and I want him to have a sibling. We’re not getting any younger. I think now would be the best time.”

Niki mirrored her smile. “And what does Ali think?”

Ashlyn’s eyes dropped to the table. “That’s the problem.”

“She said no?” Niki frowned.

Ashlyn shook her head, a solemn expression washing over her features. “I haven’t asked her yet.”

“Why not?”

“I’m kind of scared.” Ashlyn admitted, shoving her plate away from her as she seemed to have lost all her appetite. “We’re both so busy with our careers and she seems to think that things are fine the way they are now… I don’t want to force her into doing anything. I know her. She loves me so much that she’d do anything for me, even if she doesn’t want it herself, and that wouldn’t be right.”

Niki rubbed her hand over her chin. “I’m sorry, Ash, I wish I could give you some advice that would give you the answer but I think we both know that the only way to figure this out is by talking to Ali herself.”

“I know.” Ashlyn said softly, suddenly feeling foolish.

“Just talk to her.” Niki stressed. “What’s the worst that can happen?”

Ashlyn knew that she was going to have to talk to Ali at some point. It was a conclusion that she easily could’ve drawn herself. She let out a deep breath and looked at Niki, her nose scrunching up in defeat. “You’re right.”

Niki grinned. “I’m always right.”

“Shut up, Cross.” Ashlyn grinned too in spite of herself. “Or tell me about the wedding. You getting nervous yet?”

\------

Ali and Kyle walked into the restaurant and spotted Molly sitting at a table with another woman. She stood up when she noticed them and shot them a warm smile. “Hey guys! This is Kate; the wedding coordinator. She’s going to help us.” 

Ali let out a sigh of relief. A coordinator was perfect given her hectic schedule. Kyle, however, pouted like a child whose icecream had been taken away. "Molly, I thought we were going to plan it." He eyed the coordinator suspiciously. “As in us.”

Molly flushed at his rudeness and Ali slapped his arm. "Kyle please. Molly can include as many people as she likes.”

"Oh it’s okay." Molly said quickly. "I only invited Kate so she could give us an idea of what we're facing."

“I'm sorry, Kate, it’s nice to meet you." Kyle extended his hand, looking a little ashamed of himself.

Ali smiled and sat down. “Show us what you have." 

They went over color patterns and floral arrangements, trying to come to an agreement based on what Molly liked best. After a while, Ali noticed that Kyle was staring at something and she frowned when he suddenly stood up while mumbling a hurried, “Excuse me.”

Ali turned her head and her blood ran cold when her eyes met Stan’s. He winked at her and she clenched her jaw. “You have got to be kidding me.”

"What's wrong?" Molly asked. 

"I really don't like this friendship that has blossomed between him and my brother." She said, trying to keep herself from storming over to Kyle and Stan as they shared a hug. “I can’t believe this.”

"Ali, Stan is harmless and Max is way hotter if that’s what you’re worried about." 

Ali’s anger vanished slightly and she chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you're right." She turned her attention back towards the patterns they’d been looking at but she couldn’t stop herself from glancing at Kyle and Stan every now and then. With every smile and laugh her anger flared up again until she eventually couldn’t take it anymore. 

She abruptly got up and walked over to them. “What the hell is going on?”

"Stan is going to introduce me to a casting director." Kyle said excitedly. 

Ali folded her arms over her chest and gave Stan a heated look. “Really?”

“Really.” Stan smiled, making Ali shudder internally.

"Kyle, Molly is ready to decide on music for the wedding.” She dead-panned, not taking her eyes off Stan who was still smiling smugly. “She wants to talk to you." 

"Don't do that!" Kyle snapped. "Don't dismiss me like a 12 year old!" 

“Damn it, Kyle.” Ali turned to her brother. “Can’t you take a hint? I want to talk to him alone!" 

Kyle sighed dramatically before storming off.

"What are you doing?" Ali asked Stan. 

"It’s nice to see you too, Ali.”

Ali clenched her jaw so tightly she feared it would snap. “Seriously, what are you up to? Why are you scheming my brother?" 

"Scheming?" Stan laughed loudly, only aggravating Ali even more. "I just invited him to meet a friend." 

Ali placed her hands on her hips. She wasn’t naturally an aggressive person but it took everything within her not to punch him in the face. "Listen to me because I am only going to tell you this once. I don’t want you near Kyle.”

Stan gave her a challenging look. "Your brother is a grown man." 

"He can be naïve sometimes and you know that. For some reason he thinks you're his friend but I won't let you hurt him. He's happy with Max so stay out of it." 

“You think that’s what this is about?” Stan began to crack up. “Seriously Ali?”

Ali clenched her hands into fists. “Just shut up.”

"If Kyle is so happy then why has he been visiting bars so regularly?” Stan asked. Ali’s face fell and it took her too long to recover. “Oh you didn’t know? You should have seen him the other night. He was the last person to leave." 

Ali narrowed her eyes at him with hatred. He didn’t fool her. She knew her was just trying to get back at her. Drawing in a deep breath, she jabbed a finger into his chest. “You’ve been warned, Stan.”

Stan threw up his hands in defense. “Whatever you say.”

Ali shot him one last look before walking away.

\-----

Ashlyn got out of her car and leaned against it for a moment. She briefly closed her eyes, breathing out a slow sigh as she tried to get her thoughts in order. Work had been exhausting and she felt emotionally and physically drained. 

She squared her shoulders in preparation before knocking on Deb's door. She could already hear Milo yelling and as soon as Deb opened up, the little boy flew towards her, hugging her tightly. Ashlyn smiled and ruffled his hair. “Hey buddy.”

"You're early." Deb pointed out, sounding a little disappointed. Ashlyn got the feeling that if she or Ali never picked up Milo, Deb would be perfectly okay with that. 

Ashlyn ignored her remark and picked up Milo. “How about you and I go get a slice of pizza for dinner at Mike’s pizzeria?" 

Deb frowned in disgust. "That place is so greasy." 

Ashlyn put Milo back down on the ground and took his bag from Deb before kneeling down in front of him. “I won't tell mom if you won't either." 

Milo wrapped his arms around Ashlyn’s neck and whispered into her ear. "Deal." 

Ashlyn smiled and winked at him before standing up. She thanked Deb for watching Milo, knowing that it was best to remain polite, before leading Milo over to her car. 

\------

Ali walked back into her office, still aggravated, as Kyle quietly trailed behind her. They hadn't said two words to each other during the drive back and Kyle could tell that she was angry with him. He closed the door behind him and turned to her. "Al please, it’s just dinner." 

Ali sat down behind her desk, not looking at him. "Are you willing to sacrifice your relationship with Max for this?"

Kyle crossed his arms over his chest and blinked away the tears that were burning behind his eyes. "I love him but I want something that’s just for me." 

"Then talk to him, Kyle. He's crazy about you so include him in on your dreams.” Ali said patiently, finally looking up. “It's been the key to happiness for me and Ashlyn. We don't keep secrets. Anything that affects the both of us is always discussed.”

Kyle looked at his sister who he admired more than anyone. "I will talk to him." He paused and walked over to the window, staring outside. “Please don’t tell mom about this though.”

Ali scoffed. "Trust me, I hardly tell mom anything." 

She noticed Kyle wiping at his cheeks and her heart broke a little. She got up and walked over to him, pulling him into a hug. "Look, if acting is what you want to pursue then I support you completely." She said softly, patting his back. “Just be careful.”

Kyle pulled away to look her in the eyes. “Thank you.”

"I just want you to respect the man you claim to love and tell him everything in your heart. He has a stake in this too." She added seriously.

Kyle nodded. “Why do you always have to be so wise? It’s kind of annoying.”

“Oh shut up.”

\------ 

Ashlyn cut Milo's pizza up for him as the boy sat next to her, swinging his legs and smiling happily. "Momma?" 

“Yeah?”

“I met my teacher.”

“I heard.” Ashlyn said as she handed him his plate back. “What’s she like?”

“Pretty.” Milo replied, taking a bite of his pizza.

“Really?” Ashlyn raised her eyebrows in amusement. “So you like her, huh?”

"Yep, mommy said you were taking me next time." Milo said, looking at her innocently. "If you don't have to work.”

Ashlyn blinked at him in surprise. She wished would have just skipped that raid the other night since it turned out to be a waste of time anyway and it had obviously hurt her son, but it was too late for that now. “Why would you say that?”

Milo shrugged. "Because you're a superhero and you never know when you have to go save someone." 

Ashlyn’s shoulders slumped with relief and she smiled. Milo constantly bragged to everyone that his mom was a superhero. Ashlyn had tried to explain her job to him several times but every time his interpretation of what she did remained the same. Her heart melted a little and she stroked his hair affectionately. "How about we watch a movie after we leave here?"

"Cool! Can we watch the one that mommy said would be okay next time?" 

"You bet!" Ashlyn told him, trying to remember the approved movies Ali had suggested.

\------

Later that night, Ali arrived home to find the house dark and silent. It was after midnight so she wasn’t surprised. She turned on the alarm before making her way further inside. She could hear the soft lull of the TV in the family room and knew immediately what it meant. She walked in and a small smile found its way to her lips when she saw that Ashlyn and Milo were both curled up on the couch, fast asleep. 

She quietly knelt down besides them and kissed Milo on the cheek before pressing her lips to Ashlyn’s forehead. "Babe?"

Ashlyn stirred but didn't wake up. Ali figured that they must've fallen asleep quite a while ago. She sighed and gently traced the outline of Ashlyn's jaw with her fingertips before moving up to the skin between her eyebrows, smoothing out the crease that had almost become a permanent fixture on her face whenever she slept. She kissed the tip of Ashlyn's nose and a second later, the blonde’s eyes finally opened.

"Alex?" She whispered groggily as she brought her hands to her eyes to rub the sleep out of them.

“Hey.” Ali smiled, dropping another kiss on her forehead before getting up. 

Ashlyn carefully lifted Milo with her as she sat upright. “Sorry.”

Ali picked up the empty popcorn bowl, soda cans and chocolate bar wrappers. “Really Ash?”

“I guess I got a little carried away.” Ashlyn admitted guiltily.

It took one look in Ashlyn’s eyes for Ali to know that she probably gave him pizza too. She always did when she felt bad about something. Ali sighed and shook her head. “Just take him to bed. I’ll meet you upstairs.”

Ashlyn nodded as Ali headed into the kitchen. 

When Ali got upstairs, Ashlyn was still in Milo’s room. She was so tired that all she wanted to do was sleep. She had just changed her clothes when Ashlyn walked in. Tension was palpable in the air until Ali couldn't stand it anymore. She let herself fall back on the bed and looked at Ashlyn who was watching her, shuffling from foot to foot by the closet. 

Ali released a sigh and stretched out her hand. “Get your ass in bed, Ash."

Ashlyn took Ali's hand and allowed the brunette to pull her closer. She crawled onto the bed and settled half on top of Ali, nuzzling her nose against her neck. Her eyes fluttered closed when Ali's hand found its way to her lower back, rubbing slow circles. “I’m sorry.”

“You can’t give him toys and junkfood every time you feel guilty about something.” Ali said.

Ashlyn stiffened slightly in her arms. “I know how to raise our son.”

“Of course you do.” Ali said quickly when she sensed that Ashlyn was getting defensive. “I’m trying to say that you don’t need to feel guilty about anything. You’re a great mother, Ashlyn. A great mother. Yeah you might miss things sometimes because of work, but you love him and he knows that, okay?”

Ashlyn let out a shaky breath. Somehow Ali always seemed to know exactly what she needed to hear. “Okay.”

Ali kissed the top of her head. “So maybe no pizza next time.”

“How about mac and cheese?”

“Is this even a question?” Ali rolled her eyes playfully. “You’ve already corrupted him.”

"Hey! Mac and cheese is a delicacy that only champions can rightly appreciate."

“Help I married an idiot.” Ali whined in mock despair. “Now I’m stuck with her. Someone save me.”

Ashlyn laughed loudly and poked Ali’s cheek. “As if you would want it any other way.”

Ali smiled and pulled her closer. “Just go to sleep, dork.”


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Ali opened Milo's lunch box that he and Ashlyn had decided to pack last night. Inside was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, chips, a cream cake and fruit roll up. She smiled and pulled it all out, repacking it with a fresh sandwich and an apple. 

She turned around when she heard footsteps behind her and her smile widened when Ashlyn slowly shuffled into the kitchen, yawning and scratching her stomach. Ali chuckled at how adorable she looked. "Good morning."

Ashlyn smiled and leaned in to press a kiss to her cheek. “Is there coffee?”

“There’s always coffee.” Ali replied before pouring Ashlyn a cup and handing it to her. “Milo’s clothes are placed over the chair in his room and his lunch is packed. Don’t sneak any candy in there.” Ashlyn leaned back against the counter as Ali continued to ramble on, watching her in amusement. “His teacher’s name is Ms. Stewart and the kindergarten wing is on the left side of the building. God I don’t know why I’m so nervous, are you nervous?”

“Babe, relax.” Ashlyn wrapped her arm around Ali’s waist and pulled her closer, pressing a kiss to her temple. “Don’t worry, I’ve got this.”

Ali let out a deep breath and leaned back, adjusting the collar of Ashlyn’s shirt. “Yeah, I know.”

Ashlyn placed two fingers under Ali’s chin and pecked her on the lips. “He’ll be fine, okay? He’s a big boy.”

“Yeah, I’m a big boy.” Milo’s voice piped up from behind them.

Ali looked over Ashlyn’s shoulder and smiled when she saw Milo standing there in his policeman pajamas with his toy badge in his hand. She pulled away from Ashlyn and knelt down in front of their son. “Mommy knows you’re a big boy. I’m just excited about your big day.”

"I'm excited too!" Milo said, throwing his arms around her neck. 

Ali picked him up and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "You be good and tonight we’ll celebrate. What do you want me to cook?" 

"Spaghetti!" 

"Spaghetti it is." Ali laughed, putting him down and running her hands through his hair. She picked up her briefcase and blew Ashlyn a kiss "I’ll call you when I am out of court to see how it went!" 

Ashlyn watched her wife rush out the door before looking down at Milo. "Well my man, let’s get you ready for school.”

\-------

Ashlyn held Milo's hand as they entered the kindergarten wing. Parents were everywhere, dropping off their kids just like her. Ashlyn suddenly understood why Ali had been so nervous. She knew that Milo would be alright but this was a reminder of how fast time went by and how fast he was growing up.

Milo tugged on her hand and looked up at her with fearful eyes. “Momma?”

“What is it, honey?”

"You will come back and get me right?" 

Ashlyn frowned in concern. “Of course. Grandma Deb is picking you up at 2.”

Milo’s face brightened with visible relief. He tugged Ashlyn forwards, suddenly excited. “Come on, this is my classroom!”

Ashlyn allowed Milo to lead her inside and smiled when he ran to his desk. She glanced around and noticed other parents putting their kids’ backpacks on the colorful hooks on the wall so she made her way over to Milo and ruffled his hair. “Let’s put up your backpack and lunchbox first.”

Milo grinned and ran past her to the rack. Ashlyn was about to follow him when she heard a soft spoken voice behind her. “Ashlyn?”

Ashlyn turned around and her heart stopped. She was so shocked that she dropped Milo’s lunchbox, spilling all of its contents on the floor. 

\-----

Ali left court around 11 AM. She quickly fished her phone out of her pocket but she had no messages or missed calls from Ashlyn. She figured that meant that everything had gone alright. Just to make sure, she dialed Ashlyn’s number but it went straight to voicemail. She sighed but didn’t make a big deal out of it because she had to stop by the station to talk to the judge that was in charge of the Schilling case anyway.

It turned out that their conversation didn’t do much to improve her mood. 

“That plea deal is off the table.”

Ali’s brow furrowed. “Why? Because you got the DNA evidence admitted?”

“That’s right.” The judge told her. “With this evidence I’m sure to get a conviction.”

Ali clenched her jaw in frustration. “Come on, you know this is my client’s first offence. If anything, it was a crime of passion.”

“So you’re admitting his guilt now?” 

"You know that's not what I'm doing.” Ali rolled her eyes. “He's a 17 year old. The kid can't survive a mandatory life in prison sentence. His family is really concerned about him.”

"Well, what about the family of the victim? Should I consider them too?" 

Ali released a sigh and rose out of her chair. “I guess we’ll have to fight it out in court.”

“I look forward to it.”

Ali shook her head and walked out of the office. When she passed Ashlyn’s office, she saw that the lights were off which confused her because she hadn’t told her that she would be in the field today. She shrugged it off and was just about to leave when Whitney approached her.

“Hey Ali.”

“Hey you.” Ali smiled at her.

“How did Milo’s first day go?”

Ali scratched the back of her head. “I don’t know… Can’t find my wife.”

“She called and said she wasn’t coming in today. You didn’t know?”

Ali couldn’t help but feel worried now. “No she didn’t tell me.”

“Well, that’s strange.”

Ali nodded absent-mindedly. She hurriedly searched through her bag and pulled out her phone. A feeling of dread surged through her body when she saw that she still didn’t have any messages from Ashlyn. What the hell was going on? 

“I have to go.” 

Whitney nodded, looking a bit helpless. “Are we still on for dinner Saturday?”

“Sure.” Ali shot her a small smile, already halfway out the door. “Tell Ryan I said hi.”

She tried to call Ashlyn again as she walked towards her car but it again went straight to voicemail. Her heartbeat sped up a little. She was starting to become really worried now. She was booked full throughout the day and had to fight the urge to go home to check on her wife. Hopefully she was just exaggerating. Maybe Ashlyn had just gone golfing with Niki or something. Deep down she knew better though. Ashlyn would never take the day off without letting her know and ignore her phone calls like this. 

She pushed it out of her mind and decided that she would call her mom to make sure that Milo got home okay after her next meeting was over. 

\------

Ashlyn was sitting in her car, her eyes trained on the school as parents picked up their kids. She saw Milo running to Deb and the sight would’ve made her smile if she wasn’t feeling so shocked and confused. She swallowed thickly and waited until the last kid was gone before getting out of her car. 

As she approached Milo’s teacher, the woman looked up at her and flashed her that old familiar smile. Ashlyn’s hands began to tremble as she curled them into fists, trying almost desperately to control her emotions. 

"It's really you, isn't it?" She choked out.

“Yes Ashlyn, it’s me." 

"But how?" Ashlyn asked shakily, her throat thick with unshed tears. 

"Come inside and I’ll explain it all." 

Ashlyn followed her into the school, her heart pounding violently in her chest.

\------

Ali sat down in her chair by her desk and tried Ashlyn’s cell again but to no avail. She cursed under her breath before calling her mom instead. 

"Hi honey.” 

"Is Milo okay?" Ali asked. 

"He’s been talking a mile a minute about school all afternoon. Apparently he got a gold star and was picked to feed the fish in the aquarium."

Ali smiled, tiredly rubbing her forehead. "Let me speak to him for a minute." 

She heard some rustling and a moment later, Milo’s voice sounded. "Hey mommy."

“Hey baby. How did it go?”

"It was great. I love it. Can I go again tomorrow?" 

Ali laughed. “Sure you can.”

"Grandma I’m going to school again tomorrow!" He yelled loudly, causing Ali to wince and pull the phone away from her ear. 

“Milo,” She tried to get his attention. “Was momma okay this morning?”

“Yep.” Milo answered the question nonchalantly, oblivious to Ali’s concern. “She was acting funny though.” 

“Funny?”

“Yeah she dropped my lunchbox and Ms. Stewart had to help her clean it up. We all laughed but momma didn't." Milo explained. He paused for a second before adding, “Her face got all red and then she left pretty fast.”

“Hmm.” Ali hummed thoughtfully. Ashlyn wasn’t the type to get embarrassed easily so she wondered what that was all about. One thing was for sure, Milo’s words hadn’t done much to calm her worries. “Well, I’ll be picking you up soon. Let me speak to grandma please.”

She exchanged a few more words with Deb before hanging up.

Leaning back in her chair, she stared at the ceiling, trying to make sense of everything. Why hadn’t Ashlyn called all day, especially with it being Milo’s first day of school? She better have a good explanation when Ali got home.

She jumped slightly when there was a knock on the door but relaxed when Max walked in.

“Ali, I have some new information that might help you with the Schilling trial.” He said, placing something on her desk.

Ali barely heard what he said. "Have you spoken to Ash?" 

“Uh, no. Why?”

“She didn’t go to work and no one has seen or heard from her.” Ali pushed away from her desk and got up, walking over to the window. She had to get out and go home soon because the concern was now making her stomach clench uncomfortably. “It’s weird.”

“Maybe she got sick and is in bed sleeping it off.” Max tried to calm her. 

“Yeah maybe.” Ali suddenly felt a little silly since it was a very plausible option. Ashlyn didn’t get sick very often but when she did she usually turned into an adult-sized baby. She nodded, as if to convince herself, and picked up the folder that Max had placed on her desk. “Alright, let me see what we’ve got here.”


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Ashlyn was silent for what felt like an eternity. A million things were running through her mind and with every passing second, she became more and more convinced that she was dreaming. There was no other explanation. Or maybe she had hit her head without realizing and now her brain was processing things incorrectly. That had to be it.

“I saw you die.” She finally said, her voice sounding foreign to her own ears. 

"You saw what the bureau wanted you to see." 

“Sierra, I held you in my arms.” Ashlyn whispered brokenly. Her hands were shaking so badly it even shocked herself. “I… I saw the blood."

“Ash… it was all staged.” Sierra said softly, stepping towards her. 

Ashlyn tried to read her expression but it was hard to see with tears rapidly blurring her vision. She backed away and started to pace back and forth. “This isn’t real.” She murmured to herself, shaking her head. “You’re not here.”

“Ash, please listen to me." Sierra took another step forwards so that she was standing directly in front of Ashlyn. She cupped both of Ashlyn’s cheeks and Ashlyn was too stunned to do anything about it. Instead she just stood there, her arms hanging limply by her sides. “They came to me. They told me that it was too dangerous for me to stay. The threats were getting more and more violent and they feared that their protection wasn’t enough. They offered me a new identity; an escape.”

“No.” Ashlyn pulled away from her. “You wouldn’t do that to me.”

“They told me that it was the only way to save you.” Sierra said pleadingly. She moved closer to Ashlyn but Ashlyn held up her hand, signaling for her to stay back. She sighed as Ashlyn began to pace back and forth again, but didn’t dare touch her. “At that time, you were as obsessed with catching him as he was obsessed with me. The case was destroying you.” Her bottom lip quivered as tears welled up in her eyes too. “I promise I only did it to save you.”

Ashlyn felt like she had been punched in the gut. “You let me watch you die to _save_ me?”

“Ash…”

“Do you have any idea of what your death did to me, Sierra?” Ashlyn finally snapped, whirling around to face Sierra, her eyes hard and burning with anger. “Of how much losing you hurt me? Do you know how many times I’ve relived watching you die in my head?” 

Sierra let her tears flow. "Ash, you can't call me Sierra. My name is Eliza Stewart.” Ashlyn just glared at her so she continued. “I never meant to come back into your life like this. I didn’t know you were still in town when I accepted this job.”

“Why the fuck wouldn’t I be?” Ashlyn yelled.

“I don’t know, okay? I don’t know.”

Ashlyn ran her hand through her hair, trying to calm herself down. “When did you know about my son?”

"I found out when your wife came to register him. It was a coincidence, Ashlyn, I swear." She reached out for Ashlyn again, but the blonde backed up. 

“This is wrong.” She mumbled, completely caught up in her anger and hurt. “I’m going to contact the bureau. You’re an imposer. I saw you die.”

She tried to push past Sierra but Sierra stopped her from doing so by cutting off her path. “I’m real.” She tentatively took Ashlyn’s hand in her own and brought it up to her face. “I’m real and I’m alive.”

A sob escaped Ashlyn’s throat before she could stop it.

"Come here." Sierra closed the distance between them and enveloped Ashlyn in a tight hug. Ashlyn struggled weakly for a moment but then gave up and let her arms drop loosely by her sides in defeat, burying her face in Sierra's shoulder. "I’m so sorry, Ash.”

\----

Ali pulled into the driveway and frowned when she didn’t see Ashlyn’s car. She hit the garage opener and when the door lifted she saw that Ashlyn’s car wasn’t there either. The knot in her stomach grew tighter. 

Milo was in the backseat, singing along to 'the wheels on the bus' with the CD that she always played for him in the car, and pouted in disapproval when she turned it off. "Milo, when we get inside I want you to go play with your toys or something. No TV." 

"Okay mommy." Milo shrugged and got out of the car. 

Ali looked into the rear-view mirror, glancing at the vacant street. “Ashlyn, where the hell are you?”

\------

Ashlyn pulled away from Sierra, slightly embarrassed about her breakdown. “I thought I’d never see you again. I almost gave up on life itself.”

“That’s not true, Ashlyn.” Sierra’s face darkened, but Ashlyn couldn’t tell with what emotion. “You have a beautiful wife and son.”

The mention of Ali and Milo shocked Ashlyn back to reality. She rubbed her hand over her face and turned away from Sierra, not quite able to look her in the eyes. “Yes I do.” 

Sierra noticed the change in Ashlyn’s demeanor. She suddenly seemed defensive and guarded, like even the mention of her family was off limits to Sierra. “I met her.” The brunette said carefully, afraid of angering Ashlyn again. “She seems nice.”

“She’s everything.”

Sierra could hear the sincerity in Ashlyn’s voice, and she didn't know how to react. “How long have you been married?”

“Almost 6 years.”

Sierra grabbed Ashlyn’s arm and tried to get her to face her but Ashlyn didn’t budge. “Ash, you can’t tell her about this.”

“Why not?” Ashlyn finally turned towards her, her features twisted in a scowl. Sierra could see the vulnerability in her eyes underneath the coldness and anger, and it made her feel like an awful person. “The guy is dead. There’s no need for you to hide anymore.”

“I’ve been Eliza Stewart for a long time now.” Sierra replied, tightening her grip on Ashlyn’s arm as if that would suddenly make her understand... or maybe just to keep her from going anywhere. “I have a new life now and I don’t want to turn it upside down again.”

"I can't keep this from her. You'll be our son’s teacher, for God’s sake." 

She shrugged off Sierra’s touch but Sierra grabbed hold of her hand instead, pulling her back and trying to lean up to press their lips together. Ashlyn placed her free hand on Sierra’s chest and violently shoved her away. 

“Don’t you fucking dare.” She growled dangerously. “You know I’m married. What the hell is wrong with you?”

“I-I’m sorry.” Sierra stammered. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

Ashlyn dropped her eyes to the floor, stepping away to create more distance between them. “I have to go.”

"When you’re ready to talk more, come see me.” Sierra offered, sighing sadly when Ashlyn refused to look at her. “I’m staying at the Sunset Inn until I get my own place.”

Ashlyn didn't look back at her as she rushed out of the school. She didn’t breathe until she was safely seated inside her car. Was this really happening? She groaned and rested her head against the steering wheel, fighting back her tears as everything suddenly overwhelmed her. 

\-------

Ali called Ashlyn's cell again. 

She was angry now. How could Ashlyn let her worry like this? But it didn’t take long for her anger to turn into concern again. This was not like her wife. What if she was lying hurt in a ditch somewhere? Just the thought itself made her want to throw up.

She called Max next, but Kyle answered the phone. "Kyle, is Max there?" 

"Sure, hold on." 

"Ali?" Max’s voice sounded less than three seconds later. 

"Max, I can't find Ash and I'm beginning to worry." She rushed out, her voice shaking. She glanced over at Milo who was sitting at the table with his coloring books, and the pain in her chest worsened. “She isn’t at home.” 

"Alright, calm down. I'll go check around for her. I'll call you back when I know something." Max reassured her before handing the phone back to Kyle. 

"Al, what's wrong?" Kyle asked, confused. 

"Nothing…” Ali sighed, wiping her sweaty hand on her jeans as she paced back and forth in the kitchen. “Ashlyn isn’t returning my phone calls and she hasn’t come home. I'm probably just being silly but it’s not like her to not check in with us." 

"Do you want me and Noah to come over to keep you company until she comes home?" 

Ali smiled at the gesture. "No, that’s alright. It's a school night. Like I said, I’m probably just being silly." She said, again feeling embarrassed for losing it when it was barely 6 o'clock. "I need to start dinner so I’ll call you back later." 

“Okay. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

She put her phone aside and opened the fridge, staring inside without really registering what she was looking at. Ashlyn would be home soon. Everything was fine.

\------

Ashlyn took a sip from her drink, sighing in contentment as the alcohol slid down her throat. She kept hearing Sierra's voice in her head and it was driving her crazy. Every time she thought of her, she could feel herself begin to panic and she had to squeeze her eyes shut and force herself to try and focus on something other than the emotions racing through her veins.

The alcohol certainly helped with that.

She startled when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Ashlyn, what the hell is going on with you?” She flinched at the anger in Max’s voice, but didn’t say anything. She stared into her glass, too ashamed of herself. “I’ve been looking for you for almost two hours. Ali is a nervous wreck. Care to explain why you’re at a bar?”

Ashlyn still didn’t say anything.

Max looked at the bartender. "How many of these has she had?" 

The bartender shrugged. "About 10 since I’ve been here, but she was already here when my shift started." 

Max looked at Ashlyn for a moment. He had never seen her like this before and she had been in some pretty bad situations. She moved to gulp down another drink but he curled his fingers around her wrist, staring at her with a serious expression. “I don’t know what happened, but getting wasted isn’t going to help. Let’s go.”

He slowly helped Ashlyn to her feet and luckily she didn’t protest. She gripped onto his shirt as she swayed from side to side, leaning most of her weight against him. They stumbled through the bar and Max struggled to keep them both upright, focusing hard on his steps. It was clear that Ashlyn was pretty far gone.

Ashlyn, in her turn, barely noticed what was happening. Her head was so fuzzy that it was almost as if she was numb. She felt nothing, just like intended.

\------

Ali was seated on the sofa, clutching her phone tightly to her chest, when she heard a car pull up in the driveway. She bolted upright and raced to the door, swinging it open. Max was practically dragging Ashlyn with him, and Ali stepped side, stunned. 

“She’s drunk.” She said, more to herself than to Max.

She followed Max as he dragged Ashlyn into the family room and carefully lowered her onto the couch. “She sure is.”

"Where was she?"

“At a bar.” Max replied, watching as Ali knelt down besides a passed out Ashlyn before brushing some hair away from her face. “According to the bartender she’d been there for quite a while by the time I found her.”

“But why?” Ali asked, her heart aching.

Max placed a comforting hand on Ali’s shoulder. “Something’s definitely wrong.”

Ali swallowed and nodded in agreement. “Thanks for your help.”

“Of course.”

“I won’t be at work tomorrow so can you make sure all my appointments get canceled?” She asked, her eyes fixed on Ashlyn who seemed completely out of it. “I have to figure out what’s wrong with her.”

“I’ll take care of it.” Max reassured her before quietly making his exit.

Ali stroked the back of her hand down the side of Ashlyn’s face, breathing out shakily. She could smell the alcohol coming off her, indicating that Ashlyn had gone to the bar with the solo purpose of getting drunk. She didn’t understand. Everything was fine the last time she saw her, but something bad had obviously happened. What could drive her to this? 

She rubbed her hand up and down Ashlyn’s arm, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek. “What happened, baby?” She murmured against her wife’s skin. “I don’t get it.”

She let her tears fall. She felt like she should be mad at Ashlyn for worrying her so much but instead she was only afraid for her. She was afraid for the both of them.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter. Thanks for reading.

Chapter 6

Ali leaned against the door frame, watching Ashlyn who was still fast asleep on the couch. She hadn’t been able to wake her up after Max left so instead she had draped a blanket over her before reluctantly leaving her alone to get some sleep herself. Her mind just wouldn’t shut off, though, and when she glanced into the mirror earlier that morning she could see dark circles under her eyes. 

She took a seat on the edge of the couch and leaned down to press a kiss to Ashlyn’s eyebrow that wasn't squashed into the cushion. Ashlyn appeared to be in a restless sleep, her skin covered in a thin layer of sweat. Ali swallowed the lump in her throat and ran her fingers through her wife's hair, lightly scratching her nails across her scalp in an attempt to soothe her. 

Ashlyn hadn’t had a nightmare in a long time so seeing her in the grips of one concern Ali more than anything. It made her even more scared.

There was a knock on the door and Ali spared one last glance at Ashlyn before getting up.

"Hey honey." Deb said brightly as Ali let her inside. Ali tried to smile but didn’t quite manage, and Deb’s face fell. “What’s wrong?”

"Grandma, I’m ready!" Milo ran up to them, bouncing up and down in excitement.

“Quiet, Milo.” Ali placed her hand on her son’s head. “Your mom is sleeping.”

Deb frowned. “Is she sick?”

“Something like that.” Ali mumbled as she quickly gathered all of Milo’s stuff before handing it to her mom. “Thank you for this. I’ll pick him up later tonight.”

She quickly ushered them out the door before an interrogation could start.

She walked back into the family room and sat in the chair across from Ashlyn, pulling her legs to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. During the time she had been married to Ashlyn, Ashlyn had experienced a lot of hard things at work but nothing had ever driven her to this. Except maybe when Sierra died…

Her heart skipped a beat when she noticed Ashlyn starting to stir. She stayed silent as Ashlyn groaned and brought her hand to her head, cracking her eyes open in the dim light of the morning sun. She blinked a few times before her gaze finally landed on Ali. “Hey.”

Ali bit her bottom lip, feeling the dread in her stomach build. "Hey." 

"What time is it?" Ashlyn asked in a hoarse voice, quickly glancing away.

"Around 8." Ali replied, surprisingly calm.

Ashlyn looked at her watch and slowly sat up. She groaned again as a wave of dizziness washed over her and buried her face in her hands, bending over as the pain from her binge drinking took over her senses. 

"Ashlyn." Ali called out softly, trying to get her attention. Whether Ashlyn wanted to or not, they needed to talk. “What happened?”

"Not now, Alex." Ashlyn snapped, getting to her feet a bit too quickly. “Fuck.”

Ali flinched at her response, hurt. She watched as Ashlyn slowly walked out of the room, not knowing what to do. But then anger took hold of her and she got up too, following her. “What do you mean not now?” She yelled, irritation getting the best of her. Ashlyn ignored her and began to walk up the stairs. “Ashlyn!”

She winced when she heard their bedroom door slam shut. Her chest tightened and she had to fight back her tears. She didn’t want to fight with Ashlyn. That was the last thing she wanted but she knew that if she came near her wife right now, it would probably not end well. She was too mad. 

She stormed into the kitchen and slammed her coffee mug down on the counter, some tears escaping her eyes out of frustration. How could Ashlyn treat her like this after she had spent all night worrying about her? Ali’s anger flared up again in tenfold and she raced up the stairs, determined to get answers.

She heard the sound of the shower so she stormed into the bathroom. “Ashlyn, what the hell is going on?” Ashlyn didn’t say anything and Ali stared at her steam-surrounded silhouette behind the door. “I was worried sick last night. I tried to call you all day and then you show up drunk? You’re scaring me. Just tell me what’s wrong.”

Ashlyn turned off the water and spoke in a monotone voice. "I went to the bar for some drinks and it got out of hand. That's all." 

Ali backed away, fresh tears forming in her eyes. "Why are you lying to me? What happened that was so bad it makes you feel like you need to lie to me?" 

Ashlyn felt horrible. Ali didn't deserve this, but right now she needed to process everything. She needed some time to digest it alone and she couldn't include Ali in this just yet. She just needed a little space. "Alex please, my head hurts and I feel sick. Just give me a moment to get myself together.” 

Ali put her hand to her mouth to stop herself from crying. She turned and walked out of the bathroom. When she closed the door behind her, she leaned against it and let out a long sigh. She felt it. The wall Ashlyn had used with her years ago. It was up again. 

That realization scared her to death. 

She knew that it was best to leave Ashlyn alone when she got like this so she decided to go see Kyle or maybe even Molly. Anyone to get her out of the house. It hurt too much to be rejected this way.

\---------

Ashlyn quickly got dressed and took a deep breath in preparation before going downstairs. She hadn’t meant to push Ali away like that. It was more of a reflex for her than anything else. She would apologize to her and make it up to her. She would tell her something, anything, to keep her from worrying until she worked this out. 

She walked into the family room and saw Ali sitting on the sofa, tying her shoes. "Where are you going?" 

"Why?" Ali asked, the hurt evident in her voice.

Ashlyn cringed and walked closer to her. “Alex, babe, I’m sorry.”

Ali’s eyes snapped up to hers. "Are you? Sorry enough to tell me what's going on?" 

"I had a rough day at work and..." 

Ali jumped to her feet. "Don’t do that, Ashlyn!" 

Ashlyn blinked at her in surprise. "Do what?” 

"Lie to me!” Ali yelled with tears springing to her eyes. "If you don't want to talk to me, fine. If you don't need me, fine. But don't treat me like we don't mean anything to each other by lying to me." 

She was crying now, and Ashlyn felt like her heart had shattered into a million pieces. She reached for her wife and pulled her to her, wrapping her arms around her waist. "Please don't cry. I’m sorry." Ali hugged her back, desperate to have Ashlyn's arms around her. She was acting like a stranger and it was scaring the hell out of her. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“Then don’t shut me out.” Ali whispered.

Ashlyn sighed and led her over to the couch. "Honestly, yesterday my entire life flashed before my eyes. I discovered a pain that I thought I'd let go of.” Ali stared at her in confusion so she reached out and took her hand in her own. “I can't talk about it right now but soon I’ll explain it all to you. I promise, babe. You and Milo are my life. I wouldn't jeopardize it." 

Ali tried to make sense of her words. What was she trying to tell her? She cupped Ashlyn’s cheek and ran her thumb over the soft skin, gazing into tired hazel eyes. "We are one now, Ash. What happens to you, happens to me. We face everything together." 

"Not this." Ashlyn said sternly, dropping Ali’s hand. "Just let it go." 

Ali glared at her. "Fine, I'll let it go!" 

She got up and grabbed her purse and car keys. Ashlyn watched her stalk furiously to the door, and knew she couldn't stop her. A second later, the door slammed shut and Ashlyn leaned back against the couch, closing her eyes. “Damn it.”

\------

Ali had been sitting in her car for a while now, unable to move. Her legs were shaking by the time she finally got out. Apart from an occasional sniffle, her tears had subsided by now and she felt relatively calm. 

She reached walked to Kyle and Max’s house and just stood there for a while, staring at the closed door. She tried her best to wipe away the tear tracks on her face before finally ringing the doorbell. A few minutes passed before her brother appeared.

"Ali, what are you..." He trailed off when she saw the state she was in. His eyes narrowed in her concern. “Who do I have to kill?”

“No one.” Ali said as he let her inside. “Were you busy?”

“No. What’s going on?”

“Nothing. I just decided to come see my brother.” Ali forced a smile onto her face. She looked over at the table and saw that Kyle’s screenshots were spread out on it. “What’s this?”

“I’m meeting Stan’s friend Saturday night.” Kyle said excitedly. Ali just nodded and sat down on the couch instead of protesting and Kyle was certain that there was something wrong now. He sat down next to her. “Seriously, Al, what’s wrong? You look like you haven’t slept at all.”

“I don’t know and that’s the truth.”

"Okay, you're scaring me.” Kyle looked at her with wide eyes. “Max told me that he found Ash at a bar. Are you two having problems?” 

Ali sucked in a shaky breath. "She won't talk to me, Kyle.” She wrung her hands together and looked down at her lap. “Within 24 hours, there’s suddenly a distance between us and I don’t know what to do about it because she won’t tell me what happened.”

"Do what you told me to do.” Kyle patted her on the thigh. “Talk to her, girl. _Make_ her talk to you.” 

Ali looked up at her brother and smiled a little. "So you told Max about Stan’s offer?”

"No, but I told him that I want to act.” Kyle replied, continuing in a defensive tone when Ali shot him a look of disapproval. “I told him that I’ll be meeting with a casting agent. He doesn't have to know about Stan. You know he doesn’t like or trust him." 

“Yes he does need to know and it’s better if you tell him before someone else does." 

Kyle sighed but gave in. "Okay, you go find your wife and talk to her and I will tell my husband that the one man he hates the most in the world is helping me jump-start my career." 

“Deal.” Ali smiled as they both stood up.

They headed to the door and Kyle pulled her into a hug. “It’ll be okay.”

Ali wasn’t so sure of that.

\------

Ashlyn knocked on Niki and Molly's door. She needed someone to talk to and she knew Niki had a day off. Her friend opened the door, still wearing her pajama pants, and looked at her through sleepy eyes. "What are you doing here?" 

Ashlyn walked in without waiting for an invite. "Why were you asleep? It’s after 11." 

"Um, maybe because I worked late last night?" Niki said sarcastically, closing the door. 

“Is Molly here?” 

“No, she had to meet with a publisher. Why?”

"I got something heavy to lay on you bro.” Ashlyn told her, mentally trying to prepare herself for the conversation they were about to have. “You might want to sit down.”

“I’m fine.” Niki turned to pour herself a glass of water. “Do you want some?”

Ashlyn shook her head. “Niki, this is important.”

Niki’s face turned more serious at the tone of Ashlyn’s voice. She took a seat on the edge of the kitchen table and looked at Ashlyn who seemed more stressed than Niki had ever seen her be before. “I’m listening.”

Ashlyn told her everything. From the moment she saw Sierra at Milo’s school to the explanation Sierra had given her. Niki was so shocked that she was silent for a while after Ashlyn had finished talking, barely able to keep track of everything she had just heard.

“Jesus Christ.” She finally muttered, putting down her glass of water. “This is crazy. Have you checked her story?”

"How can I?” Ashlyn asked desperately. “The bureau did this behind my back. There’s no one there that will give me any answers."

Niki pursed her lips in contemplation. “Well, what did Ali say?" Ashlyn’s shoulders slumped a bit and she glanced away but not before Niki could see the guilty look on her face. “Wait, you haven’t told her?”

Ashlyn brought her right fist to her face, pressing the knuckle of her forefinger against her lip thoughtfully. “I can’t. Sierra doesn’t want to be exposed.” 

“Then why did you tell me?" 

"I can trust you."

“More than your wife?" Niki frowned. 

"It's different." 

"How? You and Ali have been to hell and back together. Why would you keep this from her?” 

"I need time!” Ashlyn snapped.

"Time? Time for what?” Niki asked somewhat angrily. She could usually read Ashlyn like an open book but she had no idea what was going through her mind right now. “Are you considering getting back together with Sierra?" 

Ashlyn looked offended, her eyebrows knitting together. “Of course not.”

"Ash, you’re making no sense here.” Niki softened her tone. “Ali will find out eventually and how is she going to feel knowing that you kept it from her?" 

"I need to see Sierra again.” Ashlyn began to pace restlessly, tapping her fingers against her thighs. “I need answers. If I tell Ali now, she may not fully understand and I don't want to put her through that." 

"Do you want to know what I think?" 

"Do I have a choice?" 

“No.” Niki smiled. "I think that you want to keep Ali in the dark so you can hold onto the past and ignore the present." 

Ashlyn scoffed. "That's not true." 

"It is Ash…” Niki said softly, approaching her friend. “You can't keep your wife in the dark about something like this. Every moment you keep this from her, you introduce deceit into your marriage." 

Ashlyn hung her head in shame. "I'm going to see Sierra this evening to get some answers. Then I'll tell Ali everything." 

Niki sighed but didn’t bother trying to convince her. It was obvious her mind was made up. As she really looked at her friend for the first time, she could see the redness in her eyes and the utter exhaustion written on her features. She placed her hand on her shoulder. “How are you holding up?”

“I don’t know.” Ashlyn whispered.

Niki gave her a sad smile.

\------

“Where’s Milo?” Ali asked as she walked into her mom’s house.

"In the bedroom watching TV." Deb looked at her curiously. "What's going on with you and Ashlyn?" 

“Mom.” Ali warned her, too tired to deal with this.

"Honey, I was married to your dad for 20 years before he died.” Deb said in an equally stern tone. “So I know a thing or two about marriage. You asking me to bring Milo to school this morning was a sign of trouble." 

"We just had a fight." Ali replied, but immediately regretted it.

"A fight, huh?" 

"Yes. A fight. You and dad had them too, remember?" 

“Watch your tone, Alexandra Blaire.” Her mom said in a low voice, and Ali flinched at the use of her full name. “I’m still your mother.”

Ali felt a pang of guilt in her chest and she scratched the back of her neck sheepishly. “I’m sorry.”

Deb’s features softened. "Listen honey, I know you love the woman. You walked through hell to get her. But you have to understand that if she wants something else, then there is nothing you can do to hold onto her. Not even a child." 

Ali felt her blood begin to boil. Ashlyn and her had been together for 7 years and her mom still found ways to make it seem like they weren’t right for each other. She knew how much Ali hated it when she did that but still continued to do it anyway. She looked at the older woman and wanted to scream. 

Instead she opted to leave. 

"Milo!" She yelled. “Get your stuff. We’re leaving.” 

"Honey, I'm sorry." Deb tried. 

"No you're not." 

She waited for Milo to come downstairs before grabbing his hand and leaving the house, not looking back at her mom.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Ashlyn was standing in front of Sierra’s door. She hadn't taken the time to think this through properly and all her doubts resurfaced. She hesitated. What was the worst that could happen? She took a deep breath and raised her hand to knock on the door, only to let it fall down to her side again. She mentally cursed herself for being such a nervous wreck. 

After another minute or two, she raised her hand again and finally brought up the courage to go through with the action.

She heard the door being unlocked and took a step backwards. Sierra appeared and her face lit up. “Ashlyn?”

“Is this a bad time?” Ashlyn asked, fiddling with her fingers.

"Not at all." Sierra replied, holding the door open for her. “Come in.”

Ashlyn walked in and saw paperwork spread out on the table. "You sure you're not busy?" 

“I’m sure.” Sierra smiled and sat down on the edge of the bed. Ashlyn began to pace in front of her and she sighed. She reached out and grabbed Ashlyn's hand, giving it a small tug. “Sit down, Ash. Let’s talk.”

Ashlyn reluctantly did so.

“I'm sure you are wondering what I've been up to in the last years.” Sierra started. Ashlyn gave her a small nod in reply, her eyes focused on the wall. "Well after I left you, I was lost for so long. My mother was the one who helped me keep my credentials in teaching so I could have some sort of future perspective." 

"Wait, your mother knew about this?" Ashlyn asked, shocked. "She knew how much pain I was in after you died and she just let me suffer?" 

"She was trying to protect me.” Sierra said softly, trying to make eye-contact but to no avail since Ashlyn refused to look at her. “I couldn't even go to her funeral."

Ashlyn sighed sadly, suddenly feeling bad. "I'm sorry, Sierra, that must've been hard."

"It’s okay." Sierra whispered. She placed her hand on the small of Ashlyn’s back, frowning when Ashlyn jumped at her touch. It broke her heart that Ashlyn was so estranged from her but she had herself to blame for that. She took a moment to recollect herself before continuing. "I eventually fell in love." 

Ashlyn expected to feel at least some sort of jealousy but instead she only felt hollow. “Did you get married?”

"Almost but it didn't work out. I moved here to start fresh. Ironic, isn’t it?"

Ashlyn’s lips curved up into a humorless smile. "Yeah it is." 

Sierra got quiet then, her tone changing into a more serious one. "Ashlyn, tell me about Ali. When I met her she seemed so different than whom I'd picture you with." 

Ashlyn felt guilt rise in her throat at the mention of her wife but she swallowed it down. "Ali saved me." 

Sierra raised an eyebrow at her. "How so?" 

"In so many ways." Ashlyn looked down at her lap as she finally smiled a genuine smile, thinking about Ali. "She gave me a second chance at love and her love made me believe in myself again. She means the world to me."

Sierra tried her best to mask her jealousy. Ashlyn couldn't even say the words ‘I love you’ to her when they were together. She knew she loved her but she was so closed off inside that she never thought those parts of her heart could be reached. But now this woman had come in and had gotten her to open up and they even had a child together. 

"I'm glad, Ash." She whispered, blinking back her tears. 

Ashlyn saw the pain flash across Sierra’s face and it made her feel terrible. "Hey, I might not have always shown it but what I felt for you was genuine." 

"I know. I always knew your heart even if you didn't know it yourself." She looked into Ashlyn’s eyes, almost getting lost in the familiarity of them. It didn’t take long for Ashlyn to avert her gaze again, though, so she decided to change the subject. "Milo is a wonderful boy." 

Ashlyn smiled faintly. "Do you know what his first impression of you was?" Sierra shook her head. "He told me you were pretty… which is a big thing for him because he thinks any girl other than his moms is gross." 

Sierra laughed and placed her hand on Ashlyn’s knee. "He takes after you." 

Ashlyn’s smile faded and she shifted uncomfortably. "I'm going to tell Ali about you being alive. I have to. She's my wife and I have too much respect for her not to." 

Sierra got up and knelt down in front of Ashlyn, covering her hands with her own. She was surprised when felt them trembling beneath her touch, and it made her realize just how much of an impact all this was having on Ashlyn. "I don't want you to keep anything from your wife, Ash. I didn't come here to cause trouble in your life. I just ask that you give me some time to contact the bureau to make them aware of the situation." 

Ashlyn shook her head. "Ali won't jeopardize anything. She's an attorney. She’ll get it." 

"Yeah, I know." Sierra said harshly. 

Ashlyn frowned. "How do you know?" 

Sierra’s eyes widened momentarily before she shrugged and quickly gave an answer. "She provided that information when she registered your son." 

Ashlyn looked down at their hands. Sierra’s touch felt foreign and out of place, but she didn’t have the energy to pull away. "I’ll give you until Monday. After that I have to tell her about you." 

“Thank you.” Sierra replied softly, squeezing Ashlyn’s hands. “About yesterday… I know I shouldn’t have tried to kiss you but I really, really wanted to.”

Ashlyn finally pulled her hands out of the brunette’s grasp, shifting away from her. “I’m in love with my wife. I’ll never betray her.”

"Your heart already has, Ash.” Sierra said, a certain desperation seeping into her voice. “I see the way you look at me. You being here without telling her is a betrayal in itself." 

Ashlyn clenched her jaw and inhaled sharply through her nose. "Stop this." She stood up and crossed her arms over her chest. "I came here because we have unresolved issues. I wasn't trying..." 

"Exactly. You have issues that you need to resolve.” Sierra stood up straight and tried to reach out for Ashlyn but Ashlyn stepped backwards, glaring at her. “The love we had is not something you just forget, Ashlyn. When you go home to your wife tonight, you will still be thinking of me. We have to face what's between us for us to move on." 

Ashlyn turned away from her, facing the door. “I admit that I still care about you. I even admit to wanting to know you again. But I have a family and they’re a part of me I’ll never give up. Not even for you." 

“Can you at least look at me?” Sierra asked, her voice breaking.

Ashlyn released a shaky breath. "I'm sorry. You have until Monday and then I’m telling Ali." 

“This isn’t over, Ashlyn.” Sierra called after her as she began to leave the room. “Not by a long shot.”

Ashlyn closed the door behind her and leaned against it. Her heart was beating so fast she was sure it would explode inside of her chest. This was like a second goodbye for her. Her heart belonged to Ali and it always would. 

She wiped at her eyes and headed for the elevator.

\------ 

Ali was lying in bed with Milo, reading him his favorite bedtime story. She looked up when she heard the front door slam shut and a moment later footsteps sounded up the stairs. Milo sat up a little. “It’s momma! Can I go see her?”

Ali smiled and rubbed his head. "Sure baby." 

Milo threw his legs over the side of his bed just as Ashlyn opened the door to his room. His face lit up and he ran towards Ashlyn who grinned and picked him up, tickling his sides. “Hey buddy, what’s up?” She looked over his shoulder and swallowed nervously when her eyes met Ali’s. “Hey.”

Ali placed the book next to Milo’s pillow and stood up. “You can finish reading to him.”

“Sure.”

“And then it’s lights out, mister.” She walked over to them and kissed Milo on the cheek.

“Okay.” Milo mumbled as he dropped his head onto Ashlyn’s shoulder, nuzzling his nose into her neck.

Ali’s heart melted at the sight and she smiled softly before leaving the room. She went downstairs and fixed herself a glass of wine before going to the living room where she plopped down in her favorite chair and put her feet up on the coffee table. 

She thought about Ashlyn rejecting her earlier and closed her eyes. She knew Ashlyn loved her. She'd seen it. She'd felt it. She'd lived it. But her mother's taunts of her being the one to force their love on her played into her insecurities. 

"Hi." Ashlyn’s voice made Ali open her eyes again. 

She stared at her wife as she stood in the doorway but remained silent. Ashlyn dragged the chair across from Ali closer to her and sat down in it. Ali’s eyes met the saddest pools of hazel she had ever seen and her heart clenched tightly in her chest. Ashlyn smiled gently, as if sensing her thoughts, and stretched out her hand. After a moment of hesitation, Ali put down her drink and took Ashlyn’s hand, allowing Ashlyn to pull her to her until she lowered herself into the blonde’s lap.

“I love you, Mrs. Krieger-Harris.” Ashlyn wrapped her arms around her waist.

Ali’s breath hitched in her throat. She had needed to hear those words. She had needed to hear them desperately. Burying her face in the curve of Ashlyn's neck, she inhaled her scent, sighing contentedly when slender fingers began to comb through her hair. They sat there like that for a while until Ali broke the silence. “I love you so much.”

Ashlyn placed her hand on Ali’s cheek and tilted her face up to bring their lips together in a kiss. Brown eyes fluttered shut as Ali melted into the contact, all her worries momentarily leaving her body. Ashlyn's other hand untangled from Ali's hair and slowly traveled down, slipping under her shirt and coming to a rest on the small of her back. 

A groan escaped Ali's throat as things quickly grew heated and she unconsciously grinded her hips into Ashlyn’s, searching for more friction. Ashlyn copied the movement and shivered at the sensation, breaking the kiss to catch her breath, biting her lip as Ali lowered her head down to suck at the sensitive skin just below her ear. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head when Ali took her earlobe between her teeth, lightly biting down on it before sucking it into her mouth.

Ashlyn effortlessly lifted Ali by the hips and Ali wrapped her legs around her waist.

She carried Ali to their bedroom, almost stumbling with Ali’s touches distracting her. Ali clung onto Ashlyn as Ashlyn carried her to the bed, gently pushing her down so that she was lying on her back, and resumed kissing her.

Ali’s fingers slipped underneath Ashlyn’s shirt and over her abs, loving the way her muscles flexed beneath her touch. She then moved down and tugged at Ashlyn’s jeans, mumbling against her lips. “Take them off.”

Ashlyn sat back on her heels and was just about to unbutton her jeans when Sierra’s voice suddenly entered her mind like a heavy mist. _Your heart already has. You being here without telling her is a betrayal in itself._

Ali noticed the shift in Ashlyn’s demeanor and she sat up, concerned. “What’s wrong?” 

Ashlyn didn’t even seem to hear her. Her eyes were wide and it scared Ali how pale she suddenly looked, as if she had seen a ghost. Ali reached out to brush the hair away from Ashlyn’s face but Ashlyn didn't react to her touch at all, her eyes focused directly ahead.

“Baby?” Ali’s voice wavered. “You’re freaking me out.”

Ashlyn finally snapped out of it. It took one look at Ali for guilt to crash down on her and her throat constricted with tears. She grabbed her pillow and shuffled off the bed. “I’ll sleep on the couch.”

Ali was too shocked to stop her. She was too shocked to even cry. She refused to go after Ashlyn again. This last rejection cut her deep. It literally felt like someone had taken a hammer to her heart. All she wanted was to be there for Ashlyn but Ashlyn wouldn’t let her and that hurt more than anything. 

She climbed under the covers and pressed her face into her pillow, suppressing the scream that was building up inside of her. She had no idea what to do. 

In the meantime, Ashlyn slumped down on the sofa downstairs with tears burning in her eyes. She knew she had majorly screwed up. She had betrayed her wife. She had betrayed her by shutting her out. Sierra was right. She knew that she loved Ali as much today as she did before Sierra came back but she couldn't bring herself to be with her until she came clean and told her everything. It just didn’t seem right. The guilt was eating away at her. 

She looked up at the ceiling and thought about what Ali must be going through upstairs, about how confused and hurt she must be. All because of her. She let her tears escape. She had to fix this. She would explain everything on Monday and things would go back to normal. They would get past this.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Ali did a double check of Milo in the kitchen and told him to finish his cereal while she got her briefcase. Her voice woke Ashlyn and she slowly pulled herself upright, stretching her arms out above her head. 

"Momma’s up!" Milo saw Ashlyn sit up and ran towards her. "Do you know what day today is?" 

Ashlyn winced when Milo jumped into her lap. Her body was sore from spending the night on the couch, but she knew she had herself to blame for that. She looked at Ali but Ali busied herself, not looking up. 

"Nope. What day is it?"

"Today is Friday and we get to do show and tell.” Milo grinned excitedly. “You said I could take your badge!" 

"No, I said you could take my badge cover and put your badge in it.” Ashlyn corrected him kindly, ruffling his hair playfully. “So go get your badge and I will put it together for you.”

Milo jumped off her lap and quickly ran towards his room.

Ashlyn stood up and walked into the kitchen where Ali was standing by the counter. "Good morning." She said softly, awkwardly fiddling with her hands. Ali didn't look at her, but Ashlyn could see the clenching of her jaw. She finished packing Milo's lunch and tried to walk past Ashlyn but Ashlyn stepped in front of her. "Alex wait." 

“Don’t.” Ali said in a strained voice.

“I'm sorry about last night.” Ashlyn tried anyway. “I know you must be confused but..." 

"Are you sleeping with someone?" Ali interrupted her angrily. 

Ashlyn looked pained.

Ali took a deep breath to calm herself. She was shocked by her own question; she hadn't intended to be so harsh towards Ashlyn, but her emotions and insecurities had gotten the best of her. It was silent as Ali studied Ashlyn's features carefully. She suddenly looked small, like a kicked puppy, and Ali almost gave in. Almost. Holding her ground, she crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes accusingly.

Ashlyn’s bottom lip quivered as she whispered out a reply. “No.”

It took everything within Ali not to reach out and take Ashlyn in her arms. Instead, she took another step closer to her, keeping her face blank. Ashlyn tugged her bottom lip between her teeth and looked down again, wrapping her arms around herself protectively. Ali heaved out a sigh. She wanted Ashlyn to give her some sort of response but she could tell that the blonde was retreating into herself like she always did when things got hard.

Milo ran into the kitchen, interrupting the tense moment. "Here momma." 

Ashlyn took the badge from Milo and reached into her pocket to pull out her own badge. She replaced Milo's toy shield with hers before handing it back to him. She never took her eyes off Ali who was waiting by the door, digging through her purse. 

Milo jumped up and down in happiness. "See what momma did, mommy!” 

Ali’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. "Let's go, sweetie." 

"Alex..." Ashlyn said softly as Ali opened the door. 

She looked at her blankly. "We can talk tonight if you're up to it." 

With that, she grabbed Milo’s hand and left the house. Ashlyn rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands before moving to pour herself a cup of coffee. She realized she needed to tell Ali as soon as possible. She couldn't bear another night of this. 

\-----

A little while later, Ali walked into her work building with one of the interns on her heels. "You have several calls from the Schilling family about the upcoming court date.” 

"Okay, thank you." Ali replied tiredly, walking into her office and dropping her briefcase on her desk. She sat down and tried to steady her breathing. Her heart was breaking and pretending that it wasn't was slowly killing her. 

There was a knock on the door and a second later Max appeared. “Hi.” 

She looked up and tried to smile. "Hey. How are you?" 

Max could see the pain and exhaustion on her face. Ali caught his look of concern and tried to cover up her emotions by moving things on her desk, but he didn’t quite fall for it. "I'm good but what about you?" 

“I’m fine.”

“You sure?”

“Max, what do you need?" Ali asked, frustrated by the questions.

Max decided to change the topic. "It's Kyle. He’s been on this acting thing again." 

“Yeah, I know." Ali leaned back in her chair.

"I would like you to find out about the casting dinner he's going to. I just know he’s keeping something from me.”

Ali huffed and shook her head in disbelief. Was everyone in this town keeping secrets from each other?

\-----

Kyle walked into the bar he knew he’d be able to find Stan at and saw that Stan was indeed there, talking to an attractive woman. He looked up when he saw Kyle approaching and smiled at him. "Kyle, how are you today?" 

"Can we talk privately?" Kyle asked, giving the woman a look. 

The woman got the hint and walked away. Stan raised an eyebrow at Kyle. "So, what's this about? You aren't canceling our dinner date, are you?" 

“Stan, I need to know if you're just toying with me or if you’re really trying to help me." Kyle began, his tone serious. "I have something good with Max and I don't want to jeopardize it if you’re just playing games."

"Let me guess, Ali has been bad mouthing me again." 

Kyle rolled his eyes. "Please. Ali’s got her own problems. She's not worried about you." 

Stan’s attention perked up at this. "What kind of problems?" 

"Ashlyn's been treating her badly and even went missing on her for awhile.” Kyle answered the question dismissively without thinking. He knew he’d said too much when he saw the smug look on Stan’s face. “But I don't really know the story and it’s not really your business. Can you answer my question?”

"Kyle, I never made any promises to you. I will introduce you to the agent and the rest is up to you." 

Kyle nodded, satisfied. "Well I can handle it from there." 

\-----

Ali had her nose buried in paperwork when Whitney called her on her phone. 

"Hey, just calling to confirm tomorrow." She said cheerfully. “We’re going to the restaurant below the Sunset Inn, right?”

Ali had completely forgotten about the dinner date with her friends. She knew Whitney had been looking forward to this for the past month because they hardly saw each other so canceling definitely wasn’t an option. "Uh, yeah. I need to talk to Ashlyn about it." 

“Are you okay?" Whitney asked.

"Yep.” Ali tried to hide how she was really feeling. “I'm cool." 

"Well your wife isn't." Whitney said with a light chuckle.

Ali frowned, suddenly more alert. “Huh?”

“She was yelling at every cadet that came in her way this morning." Whitney explained, and Ali smiled bitterly. She was glad to hear that Ashlyn’s day sucked too. She didn’t say anything and Whitney seemed to sense that she wasn’t in the mood to talk. “Anyway, I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“Yeah. Bye Whit.” 

Ali placed her phone back on her desk and ran her hand through her hair. Her mind wandered back to last night again and to how Ashlyn had pulled away from her. A feeling of dread consumed her and her stomach turned. There was another woman. She was sure of it. 

\------

A few hours later, Ali swung her car into the school parking lot and rushed out. She was just a few minutes late but the idea of Milo waiting for her drove her crazy. Her face heated up when she saw him standing on the sidewalk with Ms. Stewart. 

"I'm so sorry." She said as she got closer to them.

"Mommy, you forgot me." Milo pouted, obviously upset.

"Oh honey, she didn’t.” Sierra rubbed his shoulder comfortingly. “See, I told you she was coming.”

Ali gave her a grateful look. "Thank you, Ms. Stewart. Again, I'm so sorry." 

"Please call me Eliza.” She offered her a friendly smile.

Ali nodded and knelt down in front of Milo, smoothing out the wrinkles in his shirt. "Mommy is very sorry. Am I forgiven?”

"I guess." Milo mumbled, still pouting. 

"How was he today during show and tell?" 

"He was the show stopper! His mom’s badge was a big hit." 

Milo nodded along proudly. “Everybody thought it was real. But I told them it wasn't.” Ali smiled tenderly as he blinked at her innocently. He was growing up so fast. “I didn't tell a fake story." 

"He's just like his mother.” Sierra rubbed his shoulder again. 

Ali looked at her for a moment, confused by her words and the overly affectionate way she behaved with her son. She stood up and offered Milo her hand. "Come here, baby." 

Sierra saw the look on Ali's face and tried to recover. "Oh I met your wife the first day of school." 

"Yeah, I remember." Ali replied calmly, still a bit weirded out. 

"Ms. Krieger-Harris, can I ask you a question?" 

"Sure." 

"How'd you get so lucky to have such a wonderful family?" She made it seem like a genuine question, but Ali was sure she could hear a hint of sarcasm in her voice. Ali’s brow furrowed in confusion and curiosity. 

Milo tugged on her hand. "Mommy, let’s go. I'm bored." 

"Luck had nothing to do with it.” Ali said seriously, not breaking eye-contact. “Love did." The other woman stopped smiling and Ali had to suppress a shudder. Maybe she was just imagining things but the strange vibes she got from the teacher when she first met her rose to the surface again. She looked down at Milo as he tugged on her hand again. “Okay, we’re going.”

“Bye Ms. Stewart.”

During the drive home, the strange encounter with Milo's teacher wouldn't leave Ali’s mind.

"Milo, how do you like Ms. Stewart?" 

"She's okay." Milo shrugged, looking out of the window. 

"Just okay?” Ali looked at him through the rear-view mirror. “I thought you liked her a lot."

“She asks too many questions." Milo said with an exasperated sigh. 

"Questions?” Ali watched her son carefully. “Really? About your colors and numbers? Those kind of questions?" 

Milo yawned and shook his head. "Nope. Questions about you and momma." 

Ali felt her heart skip a beat in shock. The day all of this started was the day that Ashlyn took Milo to school. Something was up. She knew that Ms. Stewart fit into it somehow. How had she not realized this before?

“Can I have ice-cream?” Milo asked randomly, pulling her back to reality.

"Not until after dinner." Ali replied distractedly.

They ran some errands first and when they walked into the house later on, the first thing Ali noticed was the wonderful smell that invaded her nostrils. She then saw that the table was set and she figured Ashlyn must’ve cooked dinner already. 

Milo’s face lit up with excitement. “Mommy, momma made dinner!”

Ali kept looking at the mail in her hands, ignoring the scene that Ashlyn had laid out for a perfect family meal. "Sweetie, go put on something else. There’s dirt all over your clothes." 

Milo looked at Ashlyn who had just entered the kitchen and put up his best puppy-dog eyes. “Do I really have to?”

Ashlyn smiled and glanced at Ali as she headed into the study. “Do what your mom says, buddy. And hurry back so we can have dinner.”

She waited until Milo was gone before following Ali into the study. The brunette was sitting in the chair, going through the mail. Ashlyn noticed that she looked distracted, though, and she wondered if she was even registering what she was reading.

“Alex.” She said softly. Ali didn’t look up. "Can we please have dinner together like a family?" 

Ali shot her a cold look. “You want to be a family now?”

Ashlyn sighed sadly. "Alex, don't do this. Let's have dinner and then when Milo is in bed, we will talk. I will tell you everything." 

Ali stood up, her expression still the same. "We're meeting Whitney and Ryan tomorrow for dinner.” She walked past Ashlyn. “Make sure you keep that arrangement." 

Ashlyn grabbed her arm. "Did you hear me? We can talk tonight."

“Ashlyn, let me clue you in on something.” Ali sounded angry now and Ashlyn gulped, dropping her hand. “Not everything revolves around you. When I wanted to talk, you had nothing to say. Well guess what? Now I don't want to talk. How's that?” Ashlyn lowered her head, and Ali chuckled sarcastically. “Thought so. Feed Milo and make sure he does his homework before he goes to bed. I will grab something to eat when I come home." 

“Where are you going?" Ashlyn sounded a little scared now, grabbing Ali’s arm again. “Don’t push me away.”

"Don't push _you_ away?" Ali scoffed and shrugged off her hand. 

She grabbed her purse and walked to the door, slamming it behind her. 

Ashlyn wanted to stop her but she had Milo to think about. She had hurt Ali badly by shutting her out. She was fully aware of that. She just needed Ali to hear her out but she had to reach her first. For the first time, she realized how frustrating it must be for Ali every time she refused to talk to her. 

"Where did mommy go?" Milo’s small voice sounded from behind her. 

Ashlyn tried to hide her sadness from him. "She'll be back soon. Come on, let’s eat.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things will be revealed very soon.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

“Momma?"

Ashlyn stared at her plate, pushing her food around. “Yeah? 

"Do fishies sleep?" 

Ashlyn’s lips curved up into a small smile. "I think they do. Why?" 

"When we took nap time, I peeked and the fishies didn't sleep." Milo explained, cocking his head. 

"You peeked?” Ashlyn asked, pretending to be shocked. “That's not good. I'm sure Ms. Stewart doesn't like you peeking." 

Milo shrugged. “She doesn’t care.” 

Ashlyn stared at her son for a moment before turning a bit more serious. "How do you like school, Milo?" 

“It’s okay.” Milo shoved some potatoes into his mouth. “I just don't want to be left anymore." 

“Left?” Ashlyn’s eyebrows pinched together in confusion.

“Yeah mommy left me and Ms. Stewart had to stay with me until she came.” Milo explained, swinging his legs back and forth. “But it’s okay because Ms. Stewart said that if mommy never came you and me could live with her.”

Ashlyn dropped her fork with a clatter, her appetite disappearing like salt in water. “Did she?”

“Yep and when mommy got there Ms. Stewart asked her why she was so lucky.” He paused and tilted his head in thought. “What does lucky mean?”

Ashlyn felt sick to her stomach. She couldn’t believe the stunt Sierra had pulled and became angry and confused. It wasn't like Sierra to manipulate a child. Why would she play those games? She knew she had to tell Ali about this situation. She had to tell her before it all exploded in her face.

Her eyes traveled to the door. Ali had been gone for only half an hour but her chest was still tight with worry. She had been so stupid and selfish to push her away. Secrets could cost her their marriage. She couldn't allow that to happen. 

"Momma?" 

Ashlyn turned back to Milo and offered him her best smile. “What’s up, kiddo?”

"Mommy said I could have a big, big bowl of ice-cream when I am done with dinner.” He stretched his arms out wide. “This big!" 

Ashlyn laughed at his antics. "Well, if mommy said so I guess we have to find the biggest bowl in the house." 

She winked at him and he grinned as if he had just won the lottery.

\-----

Ali was sitting at a table, eating alone. Attempting to at least. She wasn’t hungry at all. She had intended to go home after driving around for a bit but she wasn’t ready to face Ashlyn yet so instead she had ended up here.

“Ali?”

She looked up and sighed when she saw Stan hovering over her. “I’m really not in the mood for this.”

"I have just the thing to fix that." Stan said sympathetically, walking away. 

Ali didn't acknowledge the comment. She was too deep in her thoughts. She had run away from Ashlyn because she was scared. She was scared of the truth. What if Ashlyn told her that she and the teacher were having an affair? What if she told her that she was leaving her? What if her mom was right and Ali had forced Ashlyn into staying with her all this time?

Her insecurities had an irrational grip on her. None of it made sense. Just a matter of weeks ago, they had been perfectly happy. She had decided that she wouldn’t try to be the selfless one anymore when Ashlyn stepped on her heart whenever she couldn’t deal with something.

She could keep her confession. She was working on Ali’s timetable now. She would uncover the truth on her own and then deal with the fallout herself. 

"Here you go, just as the doctor ordered." Stan smiled, placing a dirty martini in front of her. 

Ali looked at him coldly. "Sit down." 

Stan smiled and did as told. “I thought you'd never ask." 

"I want to talk to you about Kyle." 

Stan’s smile fell. “I just want to help the guy." 

"No, you want to help yourself.” Ali spoke calmly. Stan stared at her. Something was up with the detached attitude she had. There was trouble in paradise. "Look, let me tell you something about my brother. Growing up, he stood in my shadow. Not one created by me on purpose but one that existed because of our parents. He worked extremely hard to gain the attention of my father but he had a different focus. Kyle suffered from that. My mother didn't help either with her constant criticism.” She sighed, remembering Kyle’s struggles growing up. “He's desperate to be a star because he's desperate to be special. He thinks that you can help him, Stan. No let me rephrase that… He _believes_ you will help him. But we both know better, don’t we?”

"Ali, I would never purposely hurt him." Stan replied, surprised by the peek into Ali's life she just had just given him. When they were dating, she never spoke of her family. He didn't know she had a brother until he breezed into town. 

Ali tapped her fingers against the table impatiently. "What is it your after?" 

Stan sat back in his chair. "Why is it so hard for you to see?" 

"See what?" 

"My feelings for you." He said softly.

Ali never understood why, after all these years, he still waited on the sidelines for an opening with them. She knew he had a thing for her but last time she checked he was dating someone. It didn’t matter anyway because she had told him a thousand times that there would never be anything between them but yet he persisted. 

"It’s not that I don't see it.” Ali started, trying to soften the blow. “It’s that I don't feel it.”

He still looked as if she had thrown cold water into his face. "The years we spent together really meant nothing to you?" 

"Of course they did. But it wasn't love. And even if it was love, it wasn't the type of love that I needed. Ashlyn gave me that. She still does."

Stan raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh really? It's a Friday night and you’re sitting in my club having dinner by yourself." He said snidely. "Out of all the restaurants in town, why did you choose mine?" Ali just stared at him. "I'll tell you why, Ali. You’re running and seeking comfort. You knew you could find it with me.”

A chuckle escaped Ali’s throat before she could stop it. “I can't get through to you, can I? No matter what I say, you twist it around." 

"Hey, I'm no quitter." He smiled and Ali looked away. "Go home, Ali. Whatever it is, face it if it’s making you this unhappy.” 

"Surprised to hear you advising me to go home." 

"I've only ever wanted you to be happy, which is why I left you alone after you got married. I want you to have what you deserve." 

Ali narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Leave Kyle alone. That would make me happy." 

"Let him find himself on his own.” Stan said as Ali signaled for the waitress to come bring her the check. 

“Don't set him on a path that could cost him the one real thing he has in his life." 

Stan waved off the waitress. "It's on me." 

"Thanks." Ali said simply, knowing there was no point in protesting.

"As for Kyle, I promise that I will not interfere with his dreams. The casting agent dinner is real and I think he has a great chance, but I won't influence it any further than that." 

Ali nodded and stood up. "Take care of yourself, Stan." 

Stan stood up too and pulled her to him. She accepted the hug, welcoming the comfort even though it was being given by the wrong person and it did nothing to make her feel better. “You take care of yourself too.”

Ali pulled away and gave him one last smile before leaving.

\----

Ashlyn closed to book she’d been reading to Milo and looked at him. He was fast asleep, and Ashlyn smiled softly. He looked so much like Ali. She remembered how happy she was when Ali told her she was pregnant. She had even cried a bit, to her embarrassment. Back then, she didn’t think anything could ever come between them. 

She sighed when she thought of Sierra. She admitted that she still cared deeply for her. Maybe she even still loved her, but not in a romantic way. It was based on the life she once thought was right for her and the past they shared. But the love she had for Ali was based on the present and the future. On all the wonderful new beginning she had brought into her life. She completed her. She was her family.

Ashlyn got up from the bed and kissed her son’s cheek before quietly leaving the room. She glanced at her watch and saw that it was almost 9 o'clock. She stepped into her and Ali’s bedroom and dialed Ali’s number. 

It went straight to voicemail. Hearing Ali’s voice made Ashlyn’s heart ache. She never fled from her and now she had it in her mind that she was cheating on her. What did Sierra try to imply when they spoke earlier? Ashlyn knew she couldn’t blame everything on Sierra, though. It was her own fault and she would fix it tonight. 

Ashlyn lay down in bed to wait for her. No matter what time she arrived home, they would talk and she would listen. 

\-----

Ali pulled up in front of her mom’s house. She turned off the headlights of her car but didn’t get out yet. She didn't want to go home. She didn't want to fight with Ashlyn. She didn't want Ashlyn to reveal some kind of secret that would betray their love. She wanted to buy herself some time; delay the blow as much as possible, anything but face the chance that her world could fall apart at any moment. 

She needed her mom but Deb was never the mom to coddle her children. She was never the one to mend a broken heart. She gave it to them straight, and Ali wasn’t sure if she was prepared for that. 

She rested her head on the steering wheel and cried out in frustration. "Ash, why?" She whimpered, fighting back her tears. "How did we get here?" 

Letting out a trembling breath, she gathered all her courage before getting out of her car. 

"Honey, what's wrong?" Deb asked when she opened the door.

“Can I come in?”

Deb stepped aside. “Where’s Milo? Is everything okay?”

Ali pressed her lips into a straight line. Funny how she didn’t ask about Ashlyn. She walked over to the couch and sat down. "Mom, I need you to do me a favor.” Her mom nodded and sat down next to her. “I need you to treat me like your daughter please. No questions or snide remarks about my life. Is that too much to ask for?”

Deb looked shocked, but then wrapped her arms around Ali. “Of course, baby.”

Ali rested her head on her mom’s shoulder and allowed her to comfort her.

Ali stayed the night and they talked about home and family and memories from her childhood. Her mom never once mentioned Ashlyn or the reason why Ali was there and for that Ali was grateful. She woke up in her old bedroom at around 6 AM. Milo had a tee-ball game so she knew she had to go home.

"Alex." Her mom said softly as she walked her to the door. "It was good having you here with me last night." 

Ali smiled. “Thanks mom.”

\---

Ashlyn was woken up by a sound downstairs. Her eyes shot open and she glanced at the clock. It was almost 7. She climbed out of bed and practically raced downstairs where she found Ali in the kitchen, making coffee.

“Where were you?” Ashlyn demanded angrily. “I was worried!”

Ali walked out of the kitchen and towards the stairs.

Ashlyn blocked her. “I asked you a question. You were gone all night.”

“Not now, Ashlyn.” Ali looked at her coldly and pushed her out of the way, heading to their bedroom. 

Ashlyn watched her go and would’ve called out for her if Milo wasn’t still sleep. She sighed and dragged herself into the living room, slumping down on the couch. Now she knew what _that_ felt like. 

She couldn’t tell Ali the truth while she was in this state. She would read into things wrong. It was better to tell her tonight after dinner when she was more relaxed and less angry.

\-----

Later that day, Ali stood in front of the mirror, looking at herself. The day had been eventful to say the least. Milo's tee-ball game had brought out their friends and family. Ali had prepared food and Ashlyn had barbequed. The entire time they behaved as if everything was perfectly fine but avoided each other's eyes constantly. 

Ali felt stupid for not talking to Ashlyn. The tension between them had to stop before Milo would begin to notice something was off. She was no longer angry, just hurt. Whatever it was, she needed to face it. She needed to face Ashlyn. 

Ashlyn walked out of the bathroom, buttoning up her shirt. Her eyes met Ali’s in the mirror and the first thing she thought was that Ali looked beautiful. She wanted to open up to her right then and there but the moment was gone when Ali lowered her eyes and went to the closet go get her shoes. 

They got dressed in silence. 

Milo was with Deb for the night which gave Ashlyn the chance to be alone with Ali after they returned from dinner. She would try to be romantic to remind Ali of how much she loved her and then she would explain it all to her the right way. She had even invited Niki and Molly to dinner so that the mood would be light. 

Ali felt Ashlyn's eyes on her as she finished getting ready. If Ashlyn said anything to her now, she would listen. She would give her the chance to fix this. She thought about bringing it up but was sure that if they got into it now, there would be no way they would make it to the restaurant. She was glad that Niki and Molly were coming too. Maybe Ashlyn would relax enough to open up to her. Maybe whatever it was that she needed to tell her wouldn’t destroy the bond they had. 

She knew Eliza Stewart played a part in this. She was determined to make sure that Milo was removed from her class first thing on Monday. Ali’s hand tightened on the mascara brush she was using as she remembered Ms. Stewart's smug smile. It had been laced with a venom that only two women could understand. She was challenging her and remembering it made Ali want to slap Ashlyn. What the hell had she done to make that woman think she could say anything to her? 

Ali looked at Ashlyn in the mirror. Tonight they would deal with this once and for all. 

\------

They made their way into the restaurant, about 10 minutes late, and walked up to the hostess who greeted them with a friendly smile. "Good evening, ladies. How may I help you?"

"Hi, we're meeting our friends here." Ashlyn explained. "Flanagan is what the reservation should be under."

"Right this way." The man said before showing them to a table in the corner.

"That took you long enough." Niki said playfully when she caught sight of them. Ashlyn rolled her eyes at her friend and waited until she was standing before giving her a quick hug. After they had greeted everyone, they sat down.

“So what have we missed?”

Whitney lowered her glass. "Niki and Molly are taking a Mediterranean cruise.” She glanced at Ryan. “Now that's an example of romantic." 

Ryan rolled his eyes.

Whitney shook her head and looked at Ashlyn, getting more serious. "Ash, we finally got the warrant for the warehouse for you. It's your call." 

"No way guys.” Molly interrupted her. “Tonight is about having fun! We will not discuss work at this table." 

Everyone laughed except Ashlyn. She couldn’t stop staring at Ali. Unable to stop herself, she reached for her wife’s hand under the table but the brunette pulled away. Ashlyn felt her throat constrict. She had really screwed up. 

"Ash, Ali, are you planning something big for your anniversary?" Whitney asked, still dropping hints to Ryan about his lack of romantic gestures. 

Ashlyn looked up, a little confused as she had been lost in thought, to find everyone staring at her expectantly. Except for Ali who let her eyes drift around the room. She didn’t even seem to care and it hurt Ashlyn beyond anything she had ever felt before. 

"Actually I am.” She cleared her throat and kissed Ali on the cheek. “She will be pleasantly surprised." 

Ali faked a smile. 

To anyone, it would seem like there was nothing going on between them.

A little while later, Niki was laughing at Molly’s explain about why she was deathly afraid of seagulls when she suddenly spotted Sierra by the bar. It took a moment for her to recognize her with her shorter haircut and glasses but when she did, her mouth dropped open in shock. 

Ashlyn and Ali both noticed Niki’s gawking and turned to see whom she was staring at. Ali stiffened and turned to Ashlyn who was still staring at the woman. The blonde dropped her gaze when she felt Ali’s eyes on her, shifting in her seat. The possibility of running into Sierra hadn’t even occurred to her and she felt like an idiot. This was bad news.

"Do you guys know her?" Molly asked, confused. 

"We sure do." Ali said sarcastically. "That's Milo's teacher." 

"She looks like she's alone. Maybe we should invite her over." Molly suggested. 

Ali turned to Ashlyn who looked like she wanted to disappear, her cheeks colored red. "Yes, Ashlyn, why don't you ask Ms. Stewart to join us?" 

Ashlyn knew what Ali was doing and couldn’t help but be disappointed that she went down this road. "I'm sure she has her own plans." 

“Fine.” Ali snapped and abruptly stood up. "I'll invite her myself." 

Molly’s smile faded and her eyes flickered from Ashlyn to Niki. "Um, does someone want to clue me in what's going on?" 

Niki shot her a look, silently telling her to drop it. 

Ashlyn didn’t pay attention to them. Her eyes were glued to Ali who was walking towards Sierra. This couldn’t possibly end well.

"Ms. Stewart, I mean Eliza, how are you tonight?" Ali asked in an overly sweet voice.

“Hello Ms. Krieger-Harris. I’m good, how are you?”

“Fine.” Ali said through gritted teeth. “Are you dining alone?”

"Actually, yes. I'm staying here at the Sunset Inn." 

"Well that won't do. My wife and our friends insist that you join us." 

Sierra looked over at the table and everyone was staring at her. Everyone but Ashlyn. "That’s okay." She said awkwardly, suddenly uncomfortable. “I don’t want to interrupt.”

Ali fought the urge to chuckle sarcastically. "Nonsense." 

She hooked her arm around Sierra’s and pulled her along. 

Ashlyn was as pale as a ghost. She was freaking out internally. What in the world was Ali up to? 

Ali led Sierra over to their table. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet Eliza Stewart.” 

Ashlyn looked up at Ali who was glaring at her and she gulped. Her eyes then travel to Sierra who smiled at her but neither of them said anything. Whitney was the one who finally put an end to the awkward moment. “Please have a seat.”

Sierra sat down next to Niki while Ali reluctantly returned to her seat next to Ashlyn.

"Are you from here?" Molly asked, curious as to why the mood had changed so drastically.

"No." Sierra said softly. 

"Where are you from?" Ali asked, looking her directly in the eyes. 

Sierra licked her lips in contemplation before answering her question. "Well, I've moved around quite a lot but I’m originally from Florida." 

“What a coincidence!” Ali exclaimed in fake excitement. “Ashlyn is from Florida." 

"Really.” Sierra deadpanned, looking at Ashlyn whose eyes were fixed on Ali. 

Molly’s eyes narrowed as she finally got an idea of what was going on. Ali was challenging this woman and it had something to do with Ashlyn. This didn't look good at all. So much for a night of fun.

"So what brings you here?" Ali asked. 

"My job." 

"Are you married?” Ali asked harshly. Any friendliness from before had been replaced by an aggression that Ashlyn had never seen before. “Kids? A boyfriend? A girlfriend? Someone else's wife perhaps?" 

Sierra’s face flushed.

"Alex, that's enough!" Ashlyn snapped.

“You think so?” Ali raised her voice. “Well I don't!" 

Molly gasped and everyone at the table looked shocked. 

Sierra stood up. "Excuse me." 

Ali stood up too and grabbed her arm. "Not yet, sweetheart. You didn't answer my question." Ali’s anger was boiling over and all rational thought seemed to have forsaken her. Ashlyn tried to pull her back down but Ali shrugged her off and finally asked what she really wanted to know. "Are you sleeping with my wife?"


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter because of your nice comments and the USWNT's win tonight.

Chapter 10

Ashlyn stood up and placed her hand on Ali’s shoulder, forcing her to release Sierra’s arm. Sierra saw the anger flash across Ashlyn's face and figured it was directed towards Ali for making a scene. She was relieved and took the moment as her cue to flee. 

"Stop this." Ashlyn said pleadingly, trying to get Ali to look at her. 

"Go to hell.” Ali growled and stomped away. 

Whitney and Molly immediately jumped up to go after her.

"You didn't tell her?" Niki asked Ashlyn, trying to wrap her head around what had just happened. Ashlyn swallowed and slowly shook her head, deeply ashamed. "Why on earth didn't you tell her?" 

Ashlyn shot her a heated look, getting defensive now. "Damn it, Niki, I was going to." 

“Guys, what’s going on?” Ryan asked, utterly confused.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Ashlyn murmured before taking off to find Ali.

Ryan looked at Niki. "Who is she?" 

Niki sighed. "Sierra." 

\------

Ali was hiding in the bathroom, trying to control her tears, when Whitney and Molly entered and began firing off questions. Ali didn’t answer them. She had never made a scene like that in her life. If she wasn’t convinced that Ashlyn was cheating on her before, she was now. She and that woman had something going on behind her back. She began to panic.

Molly placed her hand on Ali’s back. "Sweetie, it’s okay." 

"I need you guys to leave." Ali choked out hoarsely, trying to regain control. 

"Not a chance in hell.” Whitney said. “We got your back." 

Ali looked up with tears in her eyes. "Please, I can't deal with all of you around me right now. Give me a moment to collect myself. Go back to the table and try to do some damage control. I need to be alone." 

Whitney’s heart broke. Ashlyn was one of her best friends but Ali was her friend too and she couldn’t believe Ashlyn would hurt her like this. She nodded and gave her a sad smile. “We’ll wait for you outside.”

Ali waited until they were gone before she gripped the sink and tried to calm herself down.

\---- 

Ashlyn ran into the lobby, desperately looking around for Ali. She could feel people staring at her but she didn’t care. She needed to talk to her wife now. She had already let things go on for too long. 

She headed for the corridor when she heard her name. 

"Ashlyn. My god, I'm so sorry." 

Ashlyn turned to Sierra who appeared to be on the verge of tears. She wanted to be mad at her but she felt like she only had herself to blame for this mess. All of it could’ve been prevented if she hadn’t pushed Ali away.

“I can’t talk right now. I need to find Ali and tell her the truth.”

“I swear I didn’t mean for this to happen.” Sierra surprised Ashlyn by pulling her into a hug, crying softly into her shoulder. Ashlyn sighed and patted her on the back. All she ever wanted was to do the right thing for all of them and see where that had gotten them.

\------

Ali walked out of the bathroom, wiping at her eyes and looked up to see Ashlyn embracing Eliza fucking Stewart. She froze, her heart threatening to pound out of her chest. It was like Ashlyn insisted on throwing salt into her wounds. 

Ashlyn looked over Sierra’s shoulder and her breath caught in her throat when she saw Ali. She immediately pulled away from the hug. “Alex, I can explain this.”

Ali shook her head. "How could you do this to me and our son?" 

“God baby, it’s not what you think.” Ashlyn stepped closer to her, desperate to make her understand. 

“Stay away from me, Ashlyn.” Ali held up her hand, her eyes filled with an emotion that shook Ashlyn to the core. She hated being the one who had driven Ali to this. “I’m warning you.”

“She’s not who you think she is.” Ashlyn’s voice cracked.

"Really? She's not the woman you're sleeping with?" 

“No. God no.” Ashlyn continued to approach Ali, her face scrunched up in pain. "I can explain this. I promise. Let’s go home and talk about this in private." 

"Stay away from me!" Ali yelled, stepping back.

Ashlyn stopped dead in her tracks and let her arms drop to her sides. In that moment, she was sure that she had officially driven Ali to her breaking point. She didn’t think she could live with herself if Ali ended up hating her because of this. If only she could go back in time to fix things. She would’ve told her on the first day.

She jumped, startled, when Nikki placed her hand on her shoulder. "Ash, let me and Molly take her home. You guys are making a scene." 

Ashlyn looked around and saw that everyone was indeed staring at them. She then glanced back at Ali who had betrayal written all over her features and nodded. “Fine. I’ll follow you.”

"I don't want you in my house!" Ali protested. "I don't want you anywhere near me."

Molly grabbed her by the arm. "Ali, stop it. Not here. Not like this.” She looked at the woman who had caused all this and shot her the best glare she could muster. “Don't give that bitch the satisfaction." 

Ali was overtaken by anger when she looked at the woman cowering behind Ashlyn. She rushed at her and would’ve attacked her if it wasn’t for Ashlyn catching her by the waist. "You stay away from family!” She yelled, completely out of control. “Stay away from my son! Do you hear me?”

Ashlyn pulled Ali out of the door with Niki and Molly right behind them.

Whitney and Ryan remained behind, watching Ashlyn drag Ali out who was still screaming at this woman. Neither of them had ever seen Ali like this; to the point of hysterics, but they weren’t very surprised either since Ali was very protective of her family.

Ryan walked over to Sierra who was obviously shaken up. Niki had told him everything and he couldn’t help but feel a little bad for her. "I'm sorry, Sierra.”

"Ryan, what the hell is wrong with you?” Whitney hissed. “Get away from her!" 

Ryan allowed Whitney to drag him away from Sierra. She glared at the woman. “So you’re Ashlyn’s mistress?” 

“I beg your pardon?”

“You heard me.” 

“I’m no one’s mistress. If anything, Ali is the one who stole something from me!” Sierra spat out before storming off.

Ryan grabbed Whitney’s hand. “I’ll explain everything in the car.”

\---

Ali walked into the house and threw her purse on the table before running upstairs. 

Molly went to go after her but Niki stopped her. "Let her go." 

"Where is she?" Ashlyn asked as she rushed inside, looking panicked. 

“Ash, please tell me she's wrong.” Molly said pleadingly, and Ashlyn realized Niki hadn’t had the chance to clue her in yet. “Please tell me you didn't do this." 

"It's complicated but I have not been unfaithful.” Ashlyn replied in an even tone, even though she felt anything but calm inside, and Molly nodded. They all gasped when they heard a loud crash upstairs and Ashlyn quickly ran for the stairs. 

"Let them handle it." Niki told Molly, pushing her back outside. 

“You get the hell out of my house!" Ali screamed as she threw Ashlyn’s gun case at the full-length mirror in their room. She was snatching the blonde’s clothes out of the closet and pulling everything out of the drawers. It was like she had completely lost control over herself. She had never felt this angry and humiliated in her life.

Ashlyn rushed in and was shocked by the mess. "Alex, please just listen to me.”

Ali ignored her and kept dragging her large suitcase out of the closet. Ashlyn was beginning to get annoyed now so she ran over to Ali and grabbed her by both the arms. She struggled and tried to get away but Ashlyn didn’t let her. "Calm down and listen, damn it!" 

"Let me go! Get out! Get your ass out of my house!" 

To gain better control of her, Ashlyn picked her up and pushed against the wall, pinning her there. "Calm down." She said forcefully. “Just hear me out.”

Ali’s hair was all over her face and she could do nothing with the way Ashlyn was holding. Her body slumped in defeat and she finally stopped struggling. 

"The woman you saw me with and believe to be Eliza Stewart, is someone else." Ashlyn started, slightly out of breath from fighting her. Ali raised her head slowly and looked at her through tear-filled eyes. She could see the movement in Ashlyn’s throat as she swallowed, and Ali braced herself for what was about to come. “Alex, it's Sierra." 

Ali heard her but couldn't believe it. She gazed into her wife’s piercing hazel eyes that were clouded by tears too and the sincerity in them caused her heart to stop. One good look at Ashlyn’s face told her that she was telling the truth.

Ashlyn loosened her grip on Ali but didn’t let go of her entirely. “She’s alive. I didn't find out until Milo's first day of school." 

Ali felt the grief of Ashlyn’s betrayal take over her body and she shook all over from it. She looked at the ceiling and screamed as loud as she could. The sudden action shocked Ashlyn so much that she released her and Ali took the opportunity to roughly push her away. 

Ashlyn stumbled back and stared at Ali with wide eyes.

Ali’s chest rose and fell as she tried to suppress her tears and her screams to tell Ashlyn about how she had destroyed everything. She didn't mean to push her so roughly. She never meant to hurt her like that but right now her anger outweighed anything else. 

“You’re an idiot.” She said hoarsely. 

Ashlyn said nothing. She would let Ali get it out of her system and then they would resolve it. They would work through it like they always had before. She would fight with her all night if necessary. 

“You found out that she was alive and what did you do?" Ali’s voice rose again. "Nothing to say huh? I'll tell you what you did. You went to a bar and drank yourself unconscious. You let me sit here, thinking you were hurt! Your wife!" She spun around as the gravity of what Ashlyn had said sunk in deeper. "Wait, that's why you can't make love to me?" 

Ali dissolved into a fresh round of tears and Ashlyn felt her heart break all over again.

"You can't make love to me because you want her." She sobbed. 

Ashlyn finally found her voice. "That's not true. You have it all twisted. It's not like that." 

"Did you sleep with her?" Ali slid down the wall and brought her knees to her chest.

Ashlyn frantically shook her head and knelt down in front of her. “No, baby, never. I would never do that to you.”

"Did you kiss her?" 

Ashlyn blinked at her question. “No.”

“But she wanted to, didn’t she?”

Ashlyn sighed and placed her hands on Ali’s knees, surprised when Ali let her. “Al, let me explain. I wanted to tell you, I swear, but it’s not that simple. She was in a witness protection program so she had to keep things quiet. For some reason she hadn’t expected me to still live here. She was as surprised as I was." 

“And you believe that?” Ali asked, drained. “She wants you back.”

“You aren’t listening.”

"Do you still love her?" It was like Ali was in a trance now as the tears stopped. 

"No… I mean not the way that I love you.” Ashlyn said desperately. 

"You made a fool of me and snuck around my back with your precious Sierra." Ali said dryly. 

"It’s not like that." 

"You had that woman around my son! Our son!" 

She was looking at her as if she didn’t know her and Ashlyn dropped her head. This was getting harder and harder. Niki was right all along. Why was she such a fucking idiot? Why didn't she tell her the moment she saw Sierra? What held her back?

"You let me lie in bed and cry myself to sleep thinking that you didn't want me.” Ali continued, her face blank. “Thinking that there was something wrong with me. I bet it’s because I can’t compare to her." 

Ashlyn was hurt now. "I never once said that.”

"How was this supposed to play out, Ashlyn? What was your plan? Were you going to just push me and your son to the side while you rode off into the sunset with her?" 

Ashlyn couldn’t keep her tears at bay anymore. Ali’s words were hurting her so bad. She wanted to punch something. She wanted to scream back at her until she listened. She wanted to shake her into believing her. 

Ali stood up. "My mom was right. You only married me because you couldn’t marry her.”

"That's enough!" Ashlyn yelled, and Ali flinched at her sudden outburst. "I was wrong. I was in shock and confused when she came into my life again. But it has no impact on the last 7 years we spent together or the hell we went through to be together!" 

"7 years of you settling because you couldn't have Sierra. I could live with her ghost. I could live with the moments you thought of her." Ali said, and Ashlyn frowned in confusion. "Oh that's right I forgot you think I'm stupid… You think I didn’t know about the nights you spent in the study thinking of her? Listening to her favorite music?"

“Well excuse me for mourning my dead girlfriend every now and then!” Ashlyn snapped, and Ali’s face softened slightly. Ashlyn let out a tired sigh. “Let’s stop this.”

"No… let's not. Let’s deal with it so we can end it." 

"We will not end it.” Ashlyn said determinedly, her hands shaking uncontrollably. “We're married and it's going to stay that way. For better and for worse, remember? This is our home and Milo is counting on us." 

Alii raised her eyebrows. “Did you think about Milo when you held Sierra?" 

Her mocking tone made Ashlyn feel like a child. There was no way to get through to her tonight. She was too angry with her. 

"Alex..." She whispered. Ali backed away, crunching glass under her heels. "I love you and you know this. You've felt it." Ashlyn looked at her intensely, not letting her drop the gaze between them. "Look at me and tell me that you don't know my heart. Look at me and tell me that you don’t want to be with me anymore." 

Ali's bottom lip began to quiver, giving away her weakness for her. She bit the inside of her cheek and tried to gain control. She loved Ashlyn with everything inside of her. If she left her for Sierra, she would die. She wanted Ashlyn’s arms around her. She wanted her perfume to envelope her. She wanted to feel her body melt into hers. She was a part of her soul. 

"Ash, I want you to leave." Her mind betrayed her heart. 

Ashlyn looked gutted. "No."

Ali frowned at her. "I can't do this with you here. I can't bring Milo into this kind of situation."

“You move me out of this house and he’ll know something’s wrong.” 

Ali wiped at her face. “I don’t know what else to do. I just want you gone.”

“Why?” Ashlyn demanded helplessly. “Because it's hard to deal with the pain you're feeling right now? Well damn it, Alex, you _have_ to deal with it. It’s not just you in this. It’s our family.”

"Let me ask you a question." 

"Okay." Ashlyn was relieved that she had at least she stopped screaming. 

"If there was no Milo, what would you do?" 

"Why are you doing this?" Ashlyn ran her hands through her hair in frustration. 

"Answer me." 

"I would choose you.” 

"Really?" 

"Alex, you saved me. Do you remember the conversation we had the night I asked you to marry me?" Ashlyn approached her again, seeing that she had hit a nerve and weakened her resistance some. "I told you that I wanted to spend my life with you, make you the mother of my kids, love and cherish you forever.” Ali didn’t say anything. “Your mom is wrong. I married you because I wanted to share everything with you. Without you I have nothing." 

Ashlyn placed her hand on Ali’s cheek and Ali didn’t resist. She couldn't fight her. She wanted to, but she couldn't. 

"I don't know what to do." She said weakly, looking trapped. 

Ashlyn pulled Ali into her, wrapping her arms around her. Ali pushed against her but gave into it quickly, burying her face in the curve of Ashlyn’s neck as Ashlyn spoke softly into her ear. "Fight with me. Be angry at me. Stop speaking to me for months if it helps but please, don't make me go." 

Ali sniffled and pulled away from her. "Can you give me some time?"

Ashlyn hesitated. If she walked out the door, it would be harder to get back in. She didn’t want to push Ali, though, so she nodded. "I'll temporarily find a hotel but only if I can come here everyday and we talk." 

Ali let her tears fall silently and chewed on her bottom lip. "I guess that would be good for Milo. You can put him to bed so he'll have less questions about us." 

Ashlyn kept her head down and picked up her suitcase. 

Ali went into the bathroom and closed the door so she wouldn't have to watch Ashlyn pack. She sat on the toilet, not even bothering to control her tears anymore. She couldn’t believe that they had gotten to this point. 

Ashlyn picked up her clothes off the floor and listened to Ali cry. She almost decided not to leave but she knew Ali; she kept her pain separate from everyone. Being in control was who she was. Ashlyn had to let her believe that she had control over this too or she would lose her for sure. 

She finished packing and closed her suitcase. Looking around the room, she felt her heart break into even smaller pieces. Ali's rage and pain was everywhere. There was glass all over the floor from the cracked mirror and the drawers of the dressers were hanging open.

She walked to the bathroom door and put her hand on the knob but stopped herself at the last moment. "I'll call you tomorrow. I’ll be here around 6 to see Milo." 

Ali breathed out shakily and closed her eyes. "Okay." 

She didn’t open her eyes until she heard the front door slam shut. 

She got up and moved over to the window, cracking open the blinds slightly so she could watch Ashlyn’s car back out of the driveway. She wanted her to stay. Everything inside of her was screaming at her to make her stay. What if she left and went to Sierra? 

She put her hands up to her head to stop it from spinning. 

When she walked into the bedroom, she felt her throat tighten painfully when she saw one of Ashlyn’s shirts on the floor. She picked it up and brought it to her face, inhaling the familiar scent of her wife. Climbing into bed, she held onto it for dear life. 

And that's when she really cried.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Ali woke up to the sun shining brightly into her face. She instinctively shuffled backwards, expecting to be greeted by Ashlyn’s warmth but the other side of the bed was cold and vacant, and reality crashed down on her like a ton of bricks. She had hoped that last night was just a nightmare. Of course it wasn’t. Ashlyn had told her that Sierra was alive. She had told her that she had purposely kept it from her. 

Ali pulled herself upright. She had slept in her dress and her eyes were sticky from her tears and not washing off her makeup. She threw her feet over the edge of the bed and tried to steady her nerves. Her stomach flipped when she thought about Ashlyn being out there somewhere away from her. 

What if she went to Sierra? What if she thought Ali didn't want her anymore? Even with those fears hovering over Ali’s head, she was still so angry with her. She was angry that she didn't turn to her when she found out about this. She was angry that she protected Sierra and her wishes over Ali’s. She was angry that after discovering that Sierra was alive, Ashlyn was unable to make love to her. 

Ali wanted to cry. There was never a day since they met that Ashlyn could resist her. But now Sierra was here and Ashlyn’s heart had split in two. She looked at the room that she had wrecked; at the pieces of glass that were scattered around the floor. It felt like that was what was left of her heart too. 

She jumped slightly when her phone rang. Nerves took over her body when she saw that it was Ashlyn. 

"Hi." She answered the call softly.

"Alex..." Ashlyn said cautiously. 

"Yeah." Ali wiped at her eyes. “Where are you?”

It was silent for a moment before Ashlyn’s voice sounded again. “I’m at the Sunset Inn.”

Ali’s heart sank. Out of all places. “Is she with you?”

“Baby please.” Ashlyn whispered weakly, not wanting to fight with her again. “I called several hotels in the area but they were all booked because of a convention. I was tired so I decided to stay here for the night. I’ll call some hotels outside of town later.”

Ali felt her heart begin to pound with an oncoming headache. “What do you want, Ashlyn?”

"I want you." Ashlyn replied, and the vulnerability in her voice caused the tears in Ali’s eyes to spill over. “Al, I can't be separated from you and Milo. I won't survive it." Ali wanted to say that she wanted her too but her words were caught in her throat. "I'll be there this afternoon so we can talk." 

"Okay." Ali mumbled. 

"I love you." Ashlyn said, sounding hopeful.

Ali bit her lip and listened to the sound of Ashlyn’s soft breathing on the other side of the line. It was comforting somehow. She didn’t think she would ever be able to fully resist her. “I love you too.”

She ended the call and threw her phone on the bed, staring at it. Part of her wanted to take Ashlyn back and fight against Sierra. The other part of her was damaged. Ashlyn’s lies had torn apart something inside of her. She wanted Ashlyn to do the fighting. She wanted Ashlyn to love her enough to put her first. 

\-----

Ashlyn listened to the annoying beeping tone that indicated that Ali had ended the call for what felt like at least 5 minutes. She had driven around all night and wound up here. It’s not like she wanted to, but now she thought it would’ve been better if she had just slept in her car or on a bench in the park. 

She thought of when she first met Ali and all the paths they had traveled to find each other. She also thought about Sierra and their past. When she was with Sierra, things were never calm and it always felt like there was something missing. When she was with Ali, just their love on its own was enough. 

Ashlyn realized that that was the difference between Ali and Sierra. In that realization she also discovered what type of woman she wanted to be; the woman that Milo thought of as a hero; the woman that Ali loved and respected. 

She sat up. She shouldn't have come here. She couldn't send Ali mixed signals. She needed to get her family back. 

\------

Sierra rolled over when she heard her phone ringing. She picked it up sleepily. "Hello." 

"She checked into the Sunset Inn. " 

"What?” Sierra mumbled in confusion, not recognizing the voice. 

"You heard me!" 

"Who is this?” She asked, a little more alert now. 

"She's in room 211. If you want Ashlyn, you will have to fight for her." 

The line went dead. 

Sierra stared at her phone. Who was that and why were they giving her info on Ashlyn? She became fully awake when she fully registered what she had just been told. Ashlyn was here. She had left Ali and came to her. She knew she would. 

She jumped out of bed to get into the shower. 

\------

Ali stepped out of the bathroom. She had wrapped herself in Ashlyn’s robe. It felt like she was torturing herself by surrounding herself with things that reminded her of her wife but she couldn’t help it. She wrapped a towel around her hair and looked around the bedroom. She had cleaned up most of the mess but Ashlyn’s absence was still painfully clear. 

She heard the doorbell and walked downstairs. It turned out to be Deb, Kyle and Milo.

“Mommy!” Milo yelled happily, hugging her legs.

“Hey honey.” Ali picked him up with a groan. She had to remember that he was getting bigger and she couldn’t hold him like she used to. It made her kind of sad. She put him back down when he got too heavy and watched as he ran past her into the house.

She noticed the concerned looks on her mom’s and Kyle’s faces, but before she had the chance to say anything, her phone rang. “Excuse me.”

"Ali?" 

“Hey Whit.” Ali walked into the study to have some privacy.

“Are you okay?”

Ali didn’t want to tell her how she really felt so she settled for the easiest option. “I’m better.”

“Ryan told me about Sierra.”

“What? How did he know?”

"Apparently Niki told him when we were in the bathroom." 

"Oh." Ali wasn’t even surprised that Ashlyn had told Niki but it still hurt a little.

"I was thinking, maybe I should come by."

“Actually, Milo's home and my mom and brother are here. I don't want them to know about what's going on." Ali said, a little frustrated. “But thanks anyway.”

"Okay. How about you meet me for lunch tomorrow?" 

"That's fine. I will swing by the station after I get out of court." 

When Ali walked into the living room, Deb stood up from the couch. "Sweetie, Kyle told me that Ashlyn is cheating on you?" 

Ali shot Kyle a look of pure anger and he cringed apologetically. “I’m sorry, Al. One of Stan’s friends overheard and told Stan who told me. Apparently you made quite a scene.”

"Why would you tell mom?" Ali snapped. 

“I was scared for you last night and I thought mom could help." He said weakly. 

Ali rolled her eyes in annoyance and threw her phone on the table. "Ashlyn is not cheating on me. It's complicated." 

It was Deb’s turn to roll her eyes. "That woman never deserved you. She has left you, hasn't she? If she left you for another woman then she definitely won't be coming back!" 

"Mom please.” Ali said tiredly.

"I'm sorry but this has to be said. Ashlyn Harris is a loser who doesn't deserve you. Period." 

"Don't call momma that!" Milo said with tears in his eyes, and Ali turned to see him standing in the doorway. "She hasn't left me and my mommy!" 

Ali rushed towards him. “Milo...”

“You take it back, grandma!" He shouted, pulling away from Ali.

Deb’s face crumbled with regret. “Oh honey, I didn't mean it." 

Milo burst into tears and Ali’s heart broke. She picked him up and carried him out of the room with Deb following. Milo had his head on Ali’s shoulder as he cried, and Ali was shaking with anger. 

“Kyle, get mom out of here before I say something I will regret." She yelled at her brother before going upstairs. 

She saw the pain on her mom’s face but hurting Milo was the final straw. She rubbed the boy’s back and took him to her room, laying down on the bed with him and hugging him close to her chest. 

“Milo, listen to me.” She said gently, stroking his hair. “Grandma didn't mean that." 

"I want momma." Milo sniffled miserably. 

"Okay, baby, we'll call her." Ali reached for her phone. 

\-----

In the meantime, Ashlyn opened her door and was surprised to see Sierra. “How did you know I was here?" 

"A little birdie told me." Sierra smiled and walked in without waiting for an invite. 

Ashlyn closed the door and looked at her wearily. "What do you need?" 

"I need you, Ashlyn.” Sierra sat down on the bed, completely unfazed by Ashlyn’s unamused expression. “And deep down you know that you need me too." 

Ashlyn tried her best not to get worked up. "I won't leave my family. I love Ali. There's no choice to be made because I already made it 7 years ago." 

"Then why are you here?” Sierra insisted, refusing to give up. “Why this hotel, Ashlyn? Why didn't you go to a friend’s house?" 

Ashlyn didn't know what to say. She wished she had thought things through more carefully last night but she had taken the easy way. That seemed to be a common problem lately. She sighed and glanced away. “I don’t want you here.”

She rushed into the bathroom without waiting for a reply.

Sierra saw her trying to escape but she still wasn't going to give up. There had to be away to get through to her. She was just in denial because she was going through a difficult time. That was all. She had to get rid of Ali first.

As if cued, Ashlyn’s phone that was placed on the nightstand rang, and Sierra didn’t hesitate to pick it up.

Ashlyn heard her familiar ringtone and quickly left the bathroom but to her dismay, she was too late and her stomach dropped. 

"Hello?" Sierra said sweetly, looking Ashlyn in the eyes almost challengingly

On the other side of the line, Ali froze, betrayal seeping through her veins. "Put my wife on the phone." She said slowly, still holding Milo whose tears had now turned into sniffles. “Right now, Sierra.”

Sierra held out the phone to Ashlyn who was glaring at her. “It’s your wife.”

Ashlyn snatched the phone out of her hand and quickly pressed it to her ear. “Alex, I can explain.”

“Momma?” Milo’s soft voice asked.

Ashlyn frowned worriedly and sat down on the bed. “Hey buddy, what’s the matter?”

“Is something wrong with Milo?” Sierra asked.

Ashlyn ignored her and listened to her son who sounded extremely upset. “Momma, come home.”

“Sure thing, Milo. I will be there as soon as possible.” Ashlyn said, feeling her heart ache over how distressed he sounded. She knew that it was all her fault and that realization made her feel like the worst person in the world. “You’re my big boy, right?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re going to protect mommy until I get there, right?”

“Yeah.” Milo said shakily.

"Where's your policeman badge and night stick?" 

"In my room." Milo replied, perking up.

Ashlyn smiled. "Okay. You go get it and guard the house until I get there." 

“Okay.” Milo said, and Ashlyn could tell he was feeling better.

"Let me speak to mommy." 

Ashlyn heard some rustling and then an annoyed, “Yes?”

“Alex…” She tried. 

"I'll see you when you get here." Ali hang up. 

Ashlyn looked at Sierra and balled her fists angrily. "Why did you do that?" Sierra was taken aback by her outburst, her eyes widening. "Do you think this is some kind of game?" 

“Ash no… God no… I thought you left her…I thought you came here because you wanted me." 

"Well you thought wrong." Ashlyn roughly shoved her phone into her pocket and got up, her whole body trembling with rage. “Get out.” 

Sierra couldn't hide how hurt she felt and began to cry. 

“Fine. Then I’ll leave." Ashlyn began to grab her stuff and shoved it into her suitcase. She started to walk to the door but then turned back at the last moment, looking at Sierra with nothing but disgust written on her features. “I don't want you. Just accept that and move on. Leave me alone.”

She walked out of the room, leaving a crying Sierra behind.

\-----

When Ashlyn walked into the house a little while later, she was greeted by an excited Milo who called out for her and ran towards her.

"Hey buddy." Ashlyn smiled, scooping him up and kissing him on the forehead. Ali didn't appear from the living room so Ashlyn came to find her, feeling more nervous than she was willing to admit. "Is everything okay?" 

Ali looked up from the book she was reading and nodded. "Your son wanted you. I hope we weren't interrupting anything." 

Ashlyn sighed. “Alex…” 

Ali shook her head, silently telling her to shut up, and smiled at Milo. "How about I make you two something to eat?”

Ashlyn was happy to see her smiling again, especially after the stunt Sierra had pulled. “That would be nice.”

During lunch, Ashlyn and Ali focused all their energy on listening and entertaining Milo and afterwards they played a boardgame with him. When Ali noticed how heavy his eyes were getting, she turned to Ashlyn. "Can you take him upstairs and put him in bed for a nap?" 

"I’m not sleepy. I promise." Milo protested through a yawn. 

"Come on." Ashlyn lifted him up and put him on her back. Ali smiled at Milo as he looked back at her, clearly pleased with the piggyback ride. 

A few minutes later, Ashlyn came back downstairs and went to the living room where Ali was sitting, sipping from her drink. Ashlyn saw that she had gotten her a beer so she sat down and popped it open. "What happened earlier is not what you’re thinking." 

Ali’s face stayed blank. “What exactly do you think I’m thinking?”

"I know you think I'm not here with you all the way." Ashlyn said with a helpless shrug of her shoulders. "I know you think that I'm torn between you two. But Alex, you couldn't be more wrong."

"Can I ask you a question?" 

"You can ask me anything." Ashlyn replied, tired of arguing with her. 

"Why did you go to the Sunset Inn?"

Ashlyn played with her bottle for a moment. "Like I already told you, it was late and all the other hotels were booked because of a convention. I swear I didn't go there on purpose.”

"Here's the thing, Ashlyn.” Ali began, leaning back a bit. “It's not just that Sierra is alive or that you hid it from me and couldn’t make love to me… it's the fact that when things get tough, I mean really tough, you lose faith in us." 

“That’s not true.” Ashlyn’s voice tightened with distress. It hurt that Ali thought these things of her when they weren’t true at all. “You have it all wrong.”

“The moment you found out that she was alive, you ran. That is the most telling thing to me. You ran and hid from me and the life we built together.”

Ashlyn’s bottom lip quivered as the first tears escaped her eyes. She was so mad at herself. She just wanted to disappear. “I was confused.”

She looked so vulnerable, staring at Ali with big, watery hazel eyes, and her heart clenched painfully in her chest. No matter what happened, seeing Ashlyn cry would always hurt her more than anything. She got up and knelt down in front of the blonde, covering her trembling hand with her own.

"Ash… I was there, remember? I know what it took for you to get over this woman. I know what her death did to your heart.” Ashlyn looked away, and Ali smiled sadly, squeezing her hand. “You can't hide this from me. I know you."

"I..." Ashlyn stammered, feeling utterly miserable. "I really fucked up, didn’t I? God, I'm so sorry, Alex. Please don't… don't hate me." 

"Hey..." Ali softened, reaching out to cup Ashlyn's flushed cheek in her hand. "Ash, look at me." Ashlyn reluctantly lifted her eyes. She couldn't possibly look more heart-broken, and Ali’s shoulders deflated as she let out a breath. "I may not be your biggest fan right now but I could never, ever hate you.”

"I just want you.” Ashlyn whispered, leaning into Ali’s touch. “I love you.”

Ali gently wiped Ashlyn’s tears away. “Yeah?”

“I can’t lose you, Alex.” Ashlyn said confidently, fighting the sob that ached to break free at the back of her throat. She had to be strong. 

“Then you will have to fight for me.” Ali replied, stroking her thumb across Ashlyn’s cheek before pulling her hand away. “You will have to fight for Milo. For our family. You can’t have us like this." 

Ashlyn’s brow furrowed. “I don’t understand. I’m here. What else can I do?”

"Get that woman to stay away from us." Ali said fiercely as she got to her feet. "I want her gone, Ashlyn. Because as long as she's in your life, I won't be." 

She shot Ashlyn one last look to show how serious she was before leaving the room. Ashlyn sat there, stunned. She knew that Ali meant it. She knew she had to do something. Now that Ali had given her an opening, she sure as hell wasn’t going to throw it away. She rose from the couch and headed for the door. 

She would have to deal with Sierra once and for all.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your comments

Chapter 12 

"But mommy, where is Ms. Stewart?" Milo asked, clearly disappointed, as he held Ali’s hand tightly.

"This is your new class, sweetie." Ali told him, feeling guilty for disappointing him but relieved at the same time. 

"But this class doesn't have fishies." Milo pouted.

Ali knew that Sierra had a fish tank in her classroom and that Milo loved it. She scanned the classroom and saw that they had a finger paint station. She knelt down next to her son. "Look over there." She smiled, pointing across the room. "They have finger paints. Maybe you can make momma a picture." 

Milo’s eyes got big with excitement. "Cool! She can put it in her office." 

Ali nodded, squeezing his waist affectionately. “Can you do me a favor and make one for in my office too?”

“Sure!” Milo grinned.

Ali smiled and got up, just as Milo’s new teacher approached them.

“Hello Mrs. Krieger-Harris, I was told that Milo’s moving to my class.” She said kindly, winking at Milo who suddenly got a little shy and hid behind Ali’s legs. “My name is Ms. Gale.”

Ali politely shook her hand and lowered her voice when she spoke. “Ms Gale, I don’t want Ms. Stewart anywhere near my son." Ms. Gale blinked in obvious confusion and surprise. Ali sighed and watched as Milo took off towards the other kids in the classroom before continuing. "I've already spoken to the Headmaster and he assured me this wouldn't be a problem." 

"Of course. The different classes only interact during recess and the teachers rarely mingle with them. I will make sure your request is respected." 

"Thank you." 

Ali said goodbye to Milo before turning to exit. She didn't care what anyone thought of her as long as that woman wasn't near her child. 

\----

Ashlyn was in a meeting with Whitney and some other colleagues, discussing the warrant for the warehouse. She barely heard a word of what was being said, though. Her mind was too occupied with other things. 

"Ashlyn.” Whitney called out her name for the third time.

"Hm?” Ashlyn blinked. “Yeah, I think that the weapons are in the warehouse. They aren't bringing them on the freight carriers." 

“We know that." Whitney replied slowly; patiently. "I asked if the raid would require the entire task force." 

Ashlyn blushed slightly at being caught daydreaming and scratched her head. "Guys, can we do this later? I have a ton of paperwork. Just tell me when and where and I will have my team ready." 

Whitney looked skeptical. "Are you okay?" 

“Fine.” Ashlyn forced a smile onto her face before quickly rising and walking out of the office.

Whitney narrowed her eyes, making a mental note to ask Ali how things were over lunch. She couldn’t help but be concerned about her friends. 

Luckily, the rest of the meeting didn’t last long and when Whitney walked out, she saw Ali coming around the corner. 

“You’re early.” She said, checking her watch.

"'I'm here to see Schilling and prep him for his trial." 

Whitney nodded and opened her mouth to reply when Ashlyn appeared out of seemingly nowhere.

“Alex, can I speak with you?” She asked hurriedly.

"I’ll come get you when I’m ready.” Ali smiled at Whitney before following Ashlyn into her office. 

Ashlyn closed the door and looked at Ali with a seriousness in her expression that immediately let the brunette know that this wasn’t going to be a fun conversation. "Did you pull Milo out of Sierra’s class?" 

“I sure did.” Ali said flatly. “I see you and her keep in touch.”

“Please don’t start.” Ashlyn replied angrily, making Ali frown. “The Headmaster fired her.”

“What?”

"Did you tell the Headmaster that you didn't trust her alone with our son?"

"Yes, but I didn't mean he should fire her." Ali said, shocked.

"Well what did you think he would do, Alex?” Ashlyn shot back, placing her hands on her waist as she tried her best to stay calm. “The Lieutenant’s wife comes to the school and says the woman is a threat to small children!"

“Ash, that's not what I said…" Ali tried to interrupt. 

"Did you even think about how this would affect her?" 

"Wait a minute!" Ali snapped, now getting angry herself. "This woman inserts herself into my child's life and destroys my marriage and I'm supposed to care about her?" 

Ashlyn sighed, her demeanour softening. "That's not what I'm saying." 

"The hell you aren't! I didn't try to get the woman fired. Am I sorry that she _did_ get fired? No!" Ali’s voice got louder and louder as her stream of thoughts poured out. "And besides, you are supposed to be working on removing her from our lives so why are you fighting with me about her keeping her job?" 

"If she gets fired for inappropriate behavior with children, she can't teach any longer. Then what does she have left?" Ashlyn asked desperately. 

Ali looked at her for a moment and then scoffed. "That woman knew who Milo was when she took him into her class. She taunted me in front of my child. She had the nerve to tell him that he could stay with her if I didn't show to pick him up. She questioned him about what goes on at home between me and you… Exactly what do you consider inappropriate behavior, Ash?" 

Ashlyn lowered her eyes, her shoulders drooping tiredly. "I'm just trying to fix this and make it right for all of us." 

"And that's where you’re wrong. The only people that you need to make it right for are me and your son!" 

She headed for the door but Ashlyn stopped her by grabbing her arm. "I'm sorry, Alex. I didn't mean to attack you." 

The anger seeped out of Ali’s body and she released a deep sigh. She knew Ashlyn and her good-hearted nature. She knew that she was probably trying to make sure that nobody got hurt in this situation, but she needed to realize that it was already too late for that.

"Just get rid of her.” She said simply before walking away. 

\------

"You sure you want to eat here?" Whitney asked, looking for a table. 

"I can't go to the Sunset Inn.” Ali mumbled. “I'm still too embarrassed." 

"Oh honey." Whitney rubbed her arm in sympathy. 

"Ladies!" Stan approached them with a big smile, making Ali roll her eyes. "Let me show you to a table." Whitney giggled at the expression on Ali’s face as they followed Stan. Ali went to sit down and of course, Stan made sure to pull out her chair. "Let me get you some drinks."

Whitney leaned in. "Could he be any more obvious?" 

"I'm really not in the mood for him today." Ali picked up the menu. 

“Maybe Stan is what you need right now… a healthy distraction" 

Ali almost choked. "There is nothing healthy about me and Stan." 

They both burst into laughter, just as Stan returned with their drinks. "I hope you ladies aren't laughing at me!" 

Ali and Whitney looked at each other and kept laughing. 

\------

Kyle opened the door to see his mother standing there. "Mom, what are you doing here?" 

"Ali won't talk to me." Deb walked in. 

Kyle closed the door and shot her a look of disbelief. "Do you blame her?" 

Deb noticed the suitcases in the living room and frowned curiously. "You taking a trip?" 

Kyle wiped his hands on the front of his pants. "I have an audition in New York for a soap opera." He said nervously. Deb just stared at him. "It's actually a small part but daytime television and plenty of exposure." 

"What about Max and Noah?” Deb scowled at him. “The life you have with them?" 

“Max supports me. We'll make it work.” He sighed when her expression remained the same. “Mom, can't you just be happy for me?" 

"Happy? Same old selfish Kyle chasing empty dreams." 

Kyle looked at her, wounded. "Why do you say things like this?" 

"Because I'm your mother and I have to protect you from yourself since you won't grow and do something meaningful with you life!" 

"Mom... I love you, but something is wrong with you." 

"Excuse me?" 

Kyle shrugged. "You have a bitterness in you that makes you hurtful and mean. Did you see what you did to Milo yesterday? Let alone how you treated Alex… I can handle it because you've kicked my feelings around since I was old enough to understand but now it’s… it’s too much. Do you want to grow old to be lonely and sad?" 

Deb adjusted her jacket nervously, seemingly taken aback by Kyle’s rant. "Kyle, I love you and your sister. I just don't want you to make the bad choices I made." 

"What bad choices?” Kyle raised his eyebrows questioningly. “You had a husband who loved you and a family that adored you. A wonderful, fulfilling career. What are you talking about?" 

Deb just shook her head. She walked over to Kyle and kissed him on the cheek. "Have a safe trip. I hope you’ll find what you're looking for." 

Kyle watched her leave silently, unsure of what to think.

\------

Ashlyn walked into the Sunset Inn and took a deep breath in preparation before walking up to the bar where Sierra was sitting. "Hey.” 

“Hey.” Sierra didn’t look at her.

"Sorry about your job." 

Sierra smiled bitterly. "I'm sure your wife isn't." 

"She didn't mean for you to get fired.” Ashlyn sat down. “She was protecting our son.” 

Sierra finally looked at her, her eyes big and confused. “From me? I love Milo.”

“You don’t know him.” 

"You know what I mean.” Sierra waved it off, going back to staring into her glass. “He's your son and for that reason alone he has part of my heart.” 

"That's why I want to talk to you…” Ashlyn began carefully. “It’s time for this to end." 

"For what to end?" Sierra asked in a strained voice.

"This living in the past.” Ashlyn said, watching Sierra's hands that pushed her glass around almost as if to control herself. “You keep looking for a connection between us that isn’t there. I want you to leave town." 

"You want what?"

"I spoke to the Headmaster." Ashlyn continued, ignoring the way Sierra was now staring at her. "He won't give you your job back but he will give you a recommendation. You can go anywhere.”

Sierra threw her head back and laughed loudly, startling Ashlyn. "You're trying to get rid of me now?" 

"I think it’s best for all of us." The blonde said softly. 

"You mean best for Ali. Is she really that threatened by us?" 

She reached out to touch Ashlyn’s cheek but Ashlyn pushed her hand away. “There is no us.”

Her face fell with hurt. “Ash… Ali sees it, I see it, why can’t you?”

"Because I'm acting on what my heart tells me. Not on what you two think you see." Ashlyn snapped, frustrated. “Goddamnit why is it so hard to get through to you?”

"It's Milo… she's using him to hold on to you." 

"Stop it!" Ashlyn slammed her hand on the bar, making Sierra jump. "I want my family, not you. I want you to go. Don't contact me; don't come near my wife, never approach Milo ever again. Are we clear?" 

Sierra’s eyes filled with tears. "If you make me leave, I won't come back." 

Ashlyn clenched her hands into fists to keep them from shaking. “Just leave." 

"You will never see me again." 

"I know.” Ashlyn whispered. 

"You are willing to lose me all over again?” Sierra was crying now. 

"I already lost you a long time ago. I buried you in my heart. The life we had is over.” Ashlyn stood up, sparing her one last glance. “Please just leave." 

Sierra watched her walk away and let her tears flow. 

\------

"Well, this has been fun but I have to get back to the station." Whitney said, rising from the table. 

"Thanks for listening to me." Ali said somewhat sheepishly. 

"Anytime. Remember, it's your marriage and family we're talking about here. Be real careful about throwing that away. What you two have is worth getting torn apart for." Whitney winked at her before leaving her by herself. 

But, three seconds later, Stan was standing next to her. "Can I have a seat?"

"Can I stop you?" 

"No, it is my restaurant." He smirked and sat down. 

Ali picked up her drink and said nothing. 

"How are you?" 

Ali rolled her eyes. “Stan, I don't want to discuss my marriage with you.” 

"That's fine because all I want to talk about is you.” He smiled and reached out for her hand. She stared back at him with a bored expression. "Remember when you were pregnant and you called me over to your house to read me the Law about interfering in your life with Ashlyn?" 

Ali nodded. 

"From that day on, I left you alone. I watched from the sidelines for years as you lived your life happily and drama free, and I took comfort in knowing that you had what you always wanted. But I also told you something that day. Do you remember?" Ali didn’t reply so he continued. "I told you that Ashlyn would never love you the way I do. I don't need you to rescue me; I don't love you because of what you do or how you look. I love you because of you." 

Ali felt her heartbeat speed up in her chest. The sincerity of Stan’s words pierced her. She knew how he felt. The way he said he loved her, was the way she loved Ashlyn. She knew what he must've gone through carrying that love and not having it returned. It reminded her of when Ashlyn had struggled to tell her that she loved her. She had always felt it, but that never made it less hard to not actually hear the words. 

She opened her hand and took his inside of it. "Stan, what you just said to me was beautiful. I needed to hear it. And as easy as it would be to fall into your arms and let you make me forget my own pain, I can't. The feelings that you carry for me, that intensity that you feel, I feel it for my wife." 

Stan smiled sadly and nodded. 

Ali let go of his hand and got her briefcase before standing up. Stan walked over to her and placed his hand on her arm, staring into her eyes. "I hope she knows how special you are."

He leaned in and Ali turned her head, allowing him to kiss her on the cheek.

"Goodbye Stan." 

Stan watched her leave, muttering under his breath. "Bye Ali.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter chapter. Some more drama to come.

Chapter 13

Sierra threw her clothes into her suitcase, tears streaming down her face. Everything was wrong. If she hadn't accepted that stupid job, she would have never seen Ashlyn and she would have never been reminded of what she had lost. She had given up her life for Ashlyn so that she could be happy and now it should’ve been her turn to find happiness. She hated Ali for using Milo to hold onto Ashlyn. Deep in her heart she knew that Ashlyn only wanted to stay with her because of that boy.

She heard a knock on the door and wiped away her tears before opening it. “What are you doing here?”

“Let me in and find out.” Ali said with a smile.

Sierra stepped aside.

Ali let her eyes scan the room and smirked when she noticed the suitcase on the bed and the obvious tear tracks on Sierra’s cheeks. “Taking a trip?”

"What, you came here to gloat?" Sierra asked, annoyed.

"I came to make sure my wife handled the situation. I see that she did." Ali folded her hands together innocently.

“Your wife?” Sierra laughed. “You mean the woman you manipulated to get what you want!" 

Ali’s face darkened. "What did you say to me?" 

“I talked to some people and found out some interesting things.” Sierra crossed her arms over her chest. “Apparently Ashlyn was miserable after I left and you just happened to sweep in at the right time.”

Ali’s lips quirked up slightly. "Sweetheart, you have no idea what you're talking about. Ashlyn trusted me with her heart and even with your so called resurrection, you can't keep her away from her family." 

"Exactly how was that, Ali?" Sierra snarled.

“How was what?" 

"How was it competing with a ghost? Watching a woman pine away over her one true love while sitting back and hoping one day she might love you?” Sierra’s eyes glimmered with anger and disgust, but Ali wasn’t impressed. “How did it feel being compared to someone you couldn't possibly hold a candle to?"

"Honestly, it was hard watching the woman I love suffer because she felt guilty. It tore me apart that she could never forgive herself for the way she thought you died." Ali saw the satisfaction beginning to creep into Sierra’s expression and she took a step towards her. "But you see, Sierra, the illusion is dead now. She knows you're alive and the real thing… well, I guess it just isn't as appealing as the ghost was. That's why she wants you to leave.”

Sierra’s body tensed with fury. "Does _she_ want me gone or did you use your son as leverage to get rid of me?" 

"Don't you ever speak of my child.” Ali snapped. "Don't you even think of him!" 

"I touched a nerve, didn't I?” Sierra’s mood seemed to brighten a bit.

Ali almost laughed at how pathetic she was. "You know, I had an interesting conversation with Ash a few years ago." She said sweetly, and Sierra braced herself for the fight she was sure was about to happen. "She told me about how you always talked about having babies with her but she never wanted them with you. The reason why you teach is due to your obsession with children and anxiety over possibly being a failure at having your own." 

Sierra flinched at the pain Ali’s words caused. "How dare you!" 

"I'll tell you how.” Ali yelled back. "Ashlyn is my wife. She wants me and the life we have together. She's made that crystal clear. So finish your packing and catch the next plane out of here because if you go near her again, it's me you'll have to deal with." 

Sierra smiled. "I must really be a threat for you to come over here to emphasize something that you claim is crystal clear between the two of you." 

"You got it wrong. I'm the threat. And if you come near my family again, I'll prove it!" Ali hissed before storming out, slamming the door behind her. She felt relieved. Ashlyn had finally told Sierra to leave and for that she was proud of her.

On the other side of the door, Sierra picked up her phone and dialed a number, waiting until it connected to voicemail. “Hey, thank you for the offer earlier. I think you’re right. I'm not ready to give up. I’m still at the Sunset Inn. I will wait to hear from you." 

\------

The Headmaster of Milo’s school sat in his chair, shifting uncomfortably and averting his eyes to avoid the angry accusations being hurled at him. 

"Why in the hell did you fire her without consulting me?" 

"I have an obligation to the parents that bring their kids here.” The Headmaster stammered.

"When I gave this school a million dollar tax free donation, I made it clear that Ms. Stewart was to be invited here to teach the kindergarten class. I made it crystal clear!" 

The Headmaster gripped the handles of his chair tightly. "What do you want me to do? I can't have her teaching Milo. His mother would pull him out of school!" 

"I want her brought back to this school immediately. If Ali has any problems with it, tell her that the visit from her wife earlier today convinced you that you were too harsh. Make her a drama teacher or something for the school play. She is to have access to Milo. Are we clear?"

The Headmaster dropped his head. "Crystal." 

\-----

“Ash?" Ali called out as she kicked off her shoes and took off her jacket. When she received no response, she walked further into the house, wondering if maybe Ashlyn had gone somewhere with Milo. She flicked on the lights and almost had a heart attack when Ashlyn and Milo suddenly popped up around the corner.

“Surprise!”

The house was decorated with balloons and streamers, and both Ashlyn and Milo were wearing birthday hats. Ali dropped her briefcase, confused, as Milo ran up to her. 

"Did we surprise you, mommy?" 

"You sure did." Ali ruffled his hair, looking at Ashlyn. “Ash, it's not my birthday." 

Ashlyn smiled and walked over to them. "Milo said his mommy had been sad and he knows that when he is sad, the only thing that can really cheer him up is a birthday party so he wanted to throw one for you."

Ali blinked back her tears and looked at Milo. "You did this for me?" 

"Yep." Milo grinned and grabbed her hand, pulling her to the kitchen. "Now come on, blow out the candles!" 

Ali followed him to the table and felt herself getting even more emotional when she saw that the words ‘we love you, Milo and Ash’ were written on the cake. She knelt down to Milo’s level and kissed him on the cheek. "This is best day and it's all because of you.”

"Now kiss momma because she helped too." Milo said, blinking up at Ashlyn.

Ali smiled at the setup. She stood up and placed her hands on Ashlyn's hips to pull her closer before leaning in to briefly connect their lips. Before she could pull away, however, Ashlyn tangled her fingers into her hair and deepened the kiss, easing her tongue into her mouth. Ali felt her heart flutter in her chest and hummed in approval, her worries momentarily forgotten. 

“Ew!” Milo made a face of disgust, trying to push them apart. "That's gross!" 

They both laughed and pulled away from each other.

"In a couple of years from now you won’t think so." Ashlyn said, winking at him. 

Ali frowned. “Hopefully in many, many years.” 

"Well, let's blow out the candles." 

Ali turned to the cake but Milo stopped her.

"Wait! I have to sing Happy Birthday!" 

"Okay honey." Ali smiled at his endearing behavior and gave him his moment. Her eyes traveled towards Ashlyn while Milo stood beside them singing. She was so glad Ashlyn had set this up. Especially after that nasty exchange between her and Sierra. 

When Milo was done singing, Ali blew out the candles and broke a household rule; dessert before dinner. They sat at the table and listened to Milo talk about his new class and the finger painting they did. 

Once they had all eaten their cake, Milo jumped out of his chair. "Can I watch TV?" 

“You know I don’t want you watching too much TV." Ali said. "How about you go play in your room?"

"Aw momma please?" He begged, looking at Ashlyn through his big brown eyes. 

Ashlyn caved almost right away. "He did say please..." 

Ali chuckled knowingly. "Okay. Only an hour and then it’s time to take your bath." 

Ashlyn got up from the table with Milo so she could turn on the TV in the living room and change it to the cartoon network, while Ali cleared the table. She was standing in the kitchen by the sink when Ashlyn walked in. 

"Hey, I think I'm going to go now." 

She turned to face her, not quite wanting her to leave just yet. "What about dinner?" 

Ashlyn’s face lit up. "Is that an invitation?" 

“It’s just dinner." Ali said cautiously. 

"I'll take what I can get." Ashlyn shrugged, giving her a dimpled smile.

"Good." Ali turned back to the counter before allowing her own smile to break free.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

After dinner, Ashlyn insisted that Ali took a relaxing bath while she cleaned up the kitchen. Ali could hear her and Milo downstairs finishing up playing and laughing. Earlier, Ashlyn had given him a bath and went over his numbers with him. Ali appreciated that she was making an effort. 

She leaned forward to grab the bottle of lavender scented soap and poured some of the light colored liquid into the water, watching as bubbles began to form. It felt good to have Ashlyn in the house. Neither of them could deal with being separated from each other. 

She heard her wife put put Milo to bed as she let the warm water comfort her body. She knew that Ashlyn had asked Sierra to leave but she would wait for Ashlyn to tell her that herself. If her family was what she wanted, she had to prove it.

She heard a soft knock on the door before Ashlyn entered. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Ali gave her a small smile.

Ashlyn shifted awkwardly and cleared her throat. “Milo’s in bed.”

It was strange to see Ashlyn nervous, but also endearing in a way. “I heard.”

Ashlyn hesitated for a moment but then knelt down beside the bathtub, resting her arms on the edge as she stared at Ali with a serious expression. “I asked her to leave, Alex.” She said, her eyes flickering down to the bubbles that covered Ali’s body and then back to her face. “I thought about what you said. I’ve hurt you so many times because of the way I’ve dealt with things.”

Ali didn’t say anything but reached out to brush a strand of hair out of Ashlyn’s face, and the small gesture gave her the courage to continue. 

"It was never intentional. I guess… it comes from years of suffering in my own pain. The only love that I knew before I met you was with a woman who ended up making me feel nothing but guilt and regret. I didn’t know what it was like to share everything with someone.”

Ali looked at her and felt some of the scars from the last weeks melt away. When she was honest with her and less guarded, Ali saw the real Ashlyn. The Ashlyn she would walk over broken glass for. The love Ashlyn gave her in moments like these was so intense that sometimes she found it hard to breathe. 

"You are the love of my life.” Ashlyn’s voice dropped to a whisper, and the vulnerability in her eyes made Ali reach for her hand. “You gave me something I never thought I’d get; a second chance. Our son and his purity reminds me of my second chance everyday. I would never jeopardize it. You couldn't force me to let go of it if you tried." 

“Ash…” Ali said softly, her throat closing up with emotion.

"I know I broke our vows.” Ashlyn continued, glancing away in shame. “I kept a secret and lied to you. It's the only condition that you placed on our love and I was reckless to betray your trust." She sighed sadly and brought Ali’s hand to her lips to gently kiss her palm. "You have all the right to be angry and hurt. I understand if you deny me access to your heart and the house. But you can't keep me from you. You are apart of me and I won't let you go. I love you too much." 

Ali blinked back her tears and reached out to touch Ashlyn’s face. "My love for you has never wavered, Ashlyn." She said gently cupped her cheek and pulled her closer, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. "But I can't take you into my bed. It still hurts." 

Ashlyn covered Ali’s hand with her own, brushing her thumb across her knuckles. "Let me make it up to you." 

Ali’s bottom lip quivered and she broke their eye-contact. She didn't know if she could handle it. She knew Ashlyn would never hurt her again, but the idea of her thinking of another woman while she made love to her terrified her. 

Ashlyn squeezed her hand. "I'm so sorry for what I did, baby. I could tell you that it wasn't Sierra that stopped me that night, but I know you need more than words. I will get your trust back.” She paused to wipe Ali’s tears away. “Will you please just let me hold you tonight?”

Ali let out a shaky breath and nodded. “I’d like that.”

Ashlyn smiled and and poured some shampoo into her hands before gently starting to rub it into Ali's long locks. Ali relaxed at the feeling of Ashlyn's fingers massaging her scalp and her head lulled to the side lazily. She felt better than she had in weeks.

Ashlyn unhooked the shower head and started to rinse Ali off, washing the shampoo out of her hair. After she was finished, she placed her hand on arm, rubbing it to gently to get her attention. “Ready to get out?”

Ali nodded and Ashlyn helped her get out of the tub before wrapping a large, fluffy towel around her body. Ali didn’t complain about the special treatment. She sighed in contentment when Ashlyn pulled her into a hug and pressed a kiss to her temple. “I love you.”

Ali nuzzled her nose into the blonde’s neck. “I love you too.”

A few minutes later, they both crawled into bed and Ali lay down on her side while Ashlyn positioned herself as the big spoon. She pressed a kiss to Ali’s shoulder before resting her chin on it, tightening her arms around her waist. 

Ali’s heart was fluttering rapidly within her chest, bursting with the amount of love she felt for Ashlyn. It was a love so strong, so pure, that it was almost scary. Her body molded around hers so naturally, as if they were made to fit, and Ali never wanted her to let her go.

\-----

The next day, Ali knocked on Max's office door. 

He looked up and smiled. "Hey." 

"Hey yourself." Ali walked inside.

“You cool?” 

“Yeah.” Ali replied softly. “I'm sorry I haven't been here much lately, leaving you to shoulder my entire caseload." 

"Actually it’s still all waiting on you.” Max said sheepishly, making Ali laugh. He looked at her for a moment before asking, "So things must be good?" 

"They’re better." Ali shrugged, taking a seat. "How about you and Kyle?" 

Max’s smile faded. "He's gone." 

Ali looked at him in confusion. "Gone?" 

“Yep.” Max said dryly, moving some papers across his desk. “Looks like he got the part in New York."

“So he left?” Ali’s face scrunched up in disbelief. She couldn’t understand why Kyle hadn’t at least told her. “Just like that?" 

Max sighed. "I couldn't step on his dream. I couldn't control him. He needed to do this, Ali, and if we have any future together, I had to let him go." 

Ali pressed her lips together. She felt for Max. All she could do was hope that some day her brother would learn that you don't find love like the love he had with Max everywhere. "How's Noah taking it?" 

"Not good at all. I know it's the middle of the week but Ash said it would be okay if Milo stayed with me tonight since he and Noah go to the same school. It would do Noah some good." 

Ali blinked in surprise. "Ash said what?" 

Max smiled at her. "I think the woman has a surprise for you." 

"Well, Milo has to be in bed by 8." Ali said as she stood up, mild excitement coursing through her veins. "Did Ash pack him a bag?" 

"We got this!" Max winked at her. 

Ali shook her head in amusement and walked out to his office. She entered her own office to find her mom sitting there, waiting for her. She sighed and walked to her desk without saying anything. 

"Honey, why haven't you returned my calls?" 

"Mom, you know why." Ali replied, sitting down. 

"I’m so very sorry I hurt Milo.” Deb’s voice cracked with sadness. “I would never hurt him intentionally. I haven't seen him in a week and it's killing me." 

Ali softened slightly. "Mom, I told you that you had to respect my marriage and Ashlyn. If you don't, I can't have you around our son. He loves Ashlyn and they have a special bond. I won't let you influence him one way or the other." 

"Are you back together with her?" 

"My god did you just hear me?" Ali snapped, frustrated. 

"Let me tell you a story." Deb said, rising from her chair. Ali looked at her, confused. "Your dad was a good man with a lot of potential." She walked over to the window, staring outside for a second before turning back to Ali. "Did you know that he wanted to be an attorney?" 

Ali shook her head.

Deb smiled. "Of course you didn't. Well, he did and he was pre-law when I met him. I used to watch him on campus. Every time he walked into the student center, women would swoon. I was in love with him before he knew me. And I love him still years after his death." 

Ali got up when she saw the tears in her mom’s eyes. "Mom, I'm sorry… here sit down." She guided her to the sofa in her office. 

“Honey listen. I'm not proud of it but I wanted that man. I wanted him to love me. I did everything to get his attention. But he was consumed with his dream of being an attorney. He was so driven." She paused to take a deep breath. "One night at a party he noticed me. He actually saw me. We danced and talked all night. He told me he wanted to make a change in the world. We went to the hill and watched the sun rise. That was the night you were conceived." 

Ali tilted her head questioningly. "Mom, why are you telling me this? Are you saying that you forced dad to marry you?" 

"No. I wanted an abortion. I didn't want to ruin his life or mine." She said coldly. The bluntness of her statement made Ali shiver. "Your dad, however, was having none of that. He loved you even before you were born. He changed his major so he could graduate sooner and married me right away. He went into education to make sure that you were equipped with everything needed to be great in this world. He was obsessed with you. The moment you were born, I was on the outside looking in. He wouldn't let anyone near you.”

Ali heard the bitterness in her voice. She knew that her mom had always resented her relationship with her dad. She just never understood why she took it out on Kyle. 

As if Deb had heard her thoughts, she shot Ali a heated glare. "I loved you both. Both of my children." 

"Mom, you aren't making sense. If dad wanted to marry you and you had a good life, what's wrong?" 

Deb dropped her face in her hands and cried. "I was lonely, Alex. I was alone. You and your father spoke a different language. You never let me in." 

Ali’s eyes widened. "My god mom, what did you do?" 

"I had an affair.” Deb blurted out. “I ended things when I found out I was pregnant with Kyle.”

Ali's mouth dropped open. “Is Kyle… He’s not dad’s?”

“What? Yes... Yes he is.” Deb rubbed her hand over her face and slumped onto the sofa again. “But your dad found out about the affair. He wanted to leave me but stayed because of Kyle. That’s why he treated him so differently. Kyle was what kept him tied to me.”

Ali recoiled from her mother in disgust. "You had an affair with another man and then you punished Kyle? You made Kyle feel like less than perfect because you couldn't face each other? What kind of monsters were you!" 

Deb burst into tears. "I love my children. I love them both. But your father could never forgive me. And Kyle, he always tested me. It’s like he was my punishment for being such a horrible wife." 

Ali glared at her mom. "You listen to me. Don't you ever repeat what you said to me today again." Deb looked at her in shock. "Kyle will never learn of this. It would kill him." 

"I told you this to help you.” 

"Help me?" 

"Yes baby. You are repeating my mistakes; using Milo to hold onto Ashlyn. I used you and Kyle against your father and it cost me the love that I really wanted." 

Ali backed away from her. "I'm nothing like you."

"Yes you are. When you first met Ashlyn she couldn't even say she loved you." 

"Get out!" Ali screamed. 

Max ran into her office. "Ali, what's wrong?" 

"Get her out of here now!" 

Max looked up at Deb who was now crying. "Ms Krieger, please go." 

Deb looked at Ali one last time but then grabbed her purse and ran out of the office. 

Max helped Ali to the sofa and held onto her as she kept shaking and crying. "Do you want me to call Ash?" 

"No." She said weakly. "I'll be okay." 

Max stroked her hair. "What on earth is going on?" 

“Max.” She said, looking at him intently. "Go to New York and bring my brother home. Tell him you love him."

“Ali…”

"Please make him happy. Make him feel loved." 

Max swallowed and nodded. “Okay.” 

"Okay." Ali repeated, relieved.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your comments. For those who don't like smut: it's at the end of this chapter.

Chapter 15

“Sierra.”

Sierra looked up from her plate and smiled sweetly. “Hey, please join me.”

“Thank you.”

"You were right.” Sierra folded her hands together on the table. “The Headmaster called and I'll be in charge of the drama department at the school." 

"Good." He smiled, narrowing his eyes when Sierra sighed sadly. "Let me guess, it didn't go that well with Ashlyn?" 

"I had no idea Ali was the type of woman you told me she is. I thought initially that you were exaggerating, but I witnessed it myself. Ashlyn is so loyal to her son she can't see how evil Ali really is." 

He snickered and grabbed her hand in mock sympathy. "It's up to you to save Ashlyn and that precious boy." 

"But how?" 

He stared at her. The woman was pathetic. Almost as pathetic as that bitch that caused him so much anguish years ago. She needed to be taught a lesson. He had spent so much time trying to dig up something on her but nothing. He had hired a private investigator that spent money on resources but still nothing. He had then looked into everyone remotely close to her until finally he uncovered a hot file on Harris. A file that involved Sierra. He knew how to handle it then. 

"I believe that you’re a good woman, Sierra. I can tell you have a great love of kids." Sierra smiled and nodded. "I think Milo needs your help." 

Sierra frowned. "He needs my help?" 

"Yes both he and Ashlyn need you." He said, touching her hand again. 

He told Sierra about how she could be a mother and have the woman of her dreams. She could have the life that Ali stole from her. Sierra listened intently, partly frightened and partly intrigued. She loved Ashlyn and adored Milo. Ali didn't deserve them. 

\------

Ali turned into the street and saw a private limo waiting front of the house. She pulled into the driveway and got out of her car. The driver of the limo was standing in front of it and tipped his hat at her as she walked by. She smiled curiously, wondering what he was doing there. 

When she got to the door, she saw an envelope taped to it with her name on it. She opened it and felt her stomach flip in excitement when she recognized Ashlyn’s handwriting. 

_Can you follow instructions? Go into our bedroom and get dressed. The driver will take you where you need to go._

_Love, Ash._

Ali smiled and hugged the note to her chest. Apparently Max was right. 

When she got to the bedroom, she saw that there was an outfit laid out on the bed for her. She picked up the black cocktail dress and black lace underwear, chuckling to herself. “So you think you’re getting some, huh?”

She undressed quickly and hurried into the shower. Letting the steam enveloped her, she tried to force the confession from her mother out of her head. She didn't know what to make of her anymore. She just didn't want to deal with the accusations hurled at her. Her life with Ashlyn was anything but ordinary but it was real. Ashlyn wanted her, and not just because of Milo. 

Her mother was wrong. 

About 15 minutes later, she walked to the limo and the driver opened the door for her. She got in the car and saw that there was another envelope waiting for her on the seat. 

_Meet me on the roof._

_Love you, Ash._

She leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes. If Ashlyn didn't want her family, then what was this, mom? She couldn't help herself. Her mother's words had split her heart in two. It made all of her unspoken fears come up to the surface. The recent events with Sierra had already done enough damage. She needed to believe that if their son wasn't here, Ashlyn would still choose her. She opened her eyes and blinked back her tears. 

"She loves me." She whispered to herself. "She loves me and only me." 

The car stopped and she looked out the window to see she was at the Parsons Towers. Nice choice, she thought to herself. The driver opened the door and helped her out. When she entered the towers, she was greeted by another man dressed in a tux. 

"Good evening, Ms. Krieger-Harris. Your wife awaits you in a private dining area on the roof.”

Ali couldn't believe that Ashlyn pulled this off. She smiled at the man and headed towards the elevator, pressing the penthouse button to access the roof. As the elevator climbed, her anxiety slowly subsided. Her mom would not ruin this for her. She and Ashlyn would enjoy this night no matter what. 

The door chimed before opening and she stepped out. She followed a sign with an arrow pointing to the end of the hall and opened the double doors. She stepped further onto the roof where Ashlyn was waiting for her. She was dressed in a tux, and Ali’s heart soared in her chest. It seemed like her wife was really pulling out all the stops. 

The blonde walked over to and took her hand. "Nice dress."

“Nice tux.” Ali smiled. There was a table set for two and there was a live band playing Etta James’s ‘At Last’ softly to the right. It was beautiful. "This is amazing, Ash." She whispered in awe, tightening her hold on Ashlyn's hand. "Thanks for bringing me here."

"I thought it'd be romantic." Ashlyn said with a shrug, suddenly feeling a little shy.

"I love it." Ali told her brightly, pulling her closer. She used her free hand to cup Ashlyn's cheek and brought their lips together in a sweet kiss. Pulling back, she smiled widely. "And I love you."

"I love you too." Ashlyn whispered back.

She led her to the table and helped her into her chair. As soon as they were both seated, the waiter came over with a bottle of champagne and poured it for them. 

"So, are you okay?" Ashlyn asked, looking at her intensely. 

Ali nodded. "Of course." 

Ashlyn chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. "I spoke to Max." 

"Let's not discuss that." Ali said nervously, picking up her glass and taking a sip. 

"Tonight we discuss everything, Alex.” Ashlyn replied seriously. “Tonight we resolve it all." 

Ali looked at the scene Ashlyn had brought together. "Ashlyn, how on earth did you arrange this?" 

"I have my ways, babe.” Ashlyn winked at her to which she rolled her eyes playfully. “Now tell me what Deb said that upset you so much."

Ali sighed. "It was more about me using Milo to keep you around." 

Ashlyn huffed in annoyance. "Your mom…. it's getting really old." 

"I told you it was best we didn't discuss it." Ali mumbled, and Ashlyn pressed her lips together sadly. She knew that whatever Deb said had upset already upset Ali and there was nothing she could do about it.

"Can we dance?" 

Ali looked relieved. “Sure." 

They both stood up and Ashlyn pulled Ali to her, wrapping her arms around her waist and pressing their bodies close together. She pressed a kiss to the side of Ali's neck before burying her face against it, her eyes fluttering shut as she felt Ali's arms wrap around her shoulders. "I love you." She whispered into the brunette's ear. "I mean it."

Ali pulled back slightly and rested their foreheads together. She held Ashlyn's gaze for a long moment, searching her eyes. Some sort of unspoken agreement passed between the two of them as they swayed to the music. 

She rested her head against Ashlyn’s shoulder and let out a happy sigh. They were unaware of what was happening around them, of the people who were watching them. It was just the two of them; loving and holding each other. Ali slowly ran her hand up and down Ashlyn's back. She never wanted this moment to end. She wanted to stay in Ashlyn's arms forever, where she felt safe. More safe than anywhere else.

“Alex?” 

Ali hummed, her eyes still closed. “Yeah?”

"What do you think about having another baby?" 

Ali’s eyes popped open and she pulled back to look at her. "A what?" 

Ashlyn’s smile faded a little. "A baby." 

Ali didn't know what to think. It wasn't something that she had considered. Their schedules already made it hard to keep up with Milo. During the first two years of Milo's life she had to cut back on her practice considerably and now she had just started this partnership with Max.

"Ash, I don't know." 

“I talked to Niki about this a while ago but I didn’t want to bring it up with you with everything that’s been going on.” 

Ali stilled her movements. “You did what?”

“I talked to Niki…” Ashlyn said carefully, her smile now completely gone.

"Why would you discuss this with Niki before saying anything to me?" Ali asked angrily, causing Ashlyn’s eyes to grow wide. 

"It wasn't like that, babe. I just asked for her advice. That’s all.” 

Ali backed away from her. "Am I not enough?" She snapped. "Do you need another baby to stay in love in with me?" 

Ashlyn’s jaw dropped. "What are you talking about?" 

“A baby.” Ali said slowly as she shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. “Maybe my mom was right all along.”

Ashlyn's breath hitched in shock. She cradled Ali's face in her hands and tried to get her to look at her. “Alex, look at me." Glassy brown eyes met hers and she felt her heart clench in her chest. "What are you talking about? Of course your mom isn’t right.”

"I want to know that you love me for me." Ali said desperately, her tears overflowing despite her best efforts.

Ashlyn’s features twisted into a painful expression. "Why would you say that?”

"My mom, Sierra…” Ali replied shakily. “They think you’re only still with me because of Milo.”

"And what do you think?" Ashlyn asked, her eyes darting around Ali’s face to get a read on her. “Why am I still with you?”

“I think because you love me.”

Ashlyn abruptly dropped her hands. “You think or you know?”

“I don’t know anymore, Ashlyn.” Ali looked at her helplessly. “Hell, there are things about me you still don't know. Things about my family." 

"After 7 years you think I don't know you?" Ashlyn murmured sadly. "Not only do I know you, I treasure you." 

"You don't know everything.” Ali said, feeling horrible for upsetting her wife. 

"Then enlighten me.”

"My mom... She used us to manipulate my dad. She broke her vows in her marriage and had an affair. My dad used Kyle to punish her. We were nothing but pawns to both of them. I was never allowed the chance to be a normal kid. I always had to excel and overachieve. My father rewarded me with love but only when I made him proud; only if I met the goals he set for me. I can't fail. I can't fail, Ash. I can't. If I fail no one would be there. I'll have nothing." 

“My god, Alex...” Ashlyn whispered. She had no idea Ali carried this pain inside of her. She kept it buried deep and put everyone before her. Ashlyn closed the distance between them and pulled Ali into her arms. Ali's head dropped to Ashlyn's shoulder and she sniffled in defeat. “Do you think my love for you is because of your perfection? Do you really think you can’t be vulnerable around me?”

“Ash, when I met you the first thing you liked about me was my strength. When you went through your discovery of finding yourself again, you relied on my strength to see you through it. That was fine. But you never allowed yourself to see what it did to me. You not being able to tell me you loved me...." 

"Stop." Ashlyn whispered, her voice breaking as guilt overwhelmed her. "I did rely on your strength and I’m not lying when I say you are the strongest woman I know. But you never fooled me. I knew you were vulnerable. I knew you needed to be reassured. That's why I fought so hard to be the woman you deserved. That's why I fought to make you believe in marriage and family. I knew that you convinced yourself you didn't need it but it was just your way of protecting yourself from getting hurt." 

Ali closed her eyes and tightened her arms around Ashlyn’s waist. "I do need you, and I’m not saying any of this to make you feel bad. I love my life with you and Milo. If I lost either of you, I wouldn't survive." 

"You aren't your parents.” Ashlyn said softly, pressing a kiss to the curve of Ali’s neck. “Your mother’s mistakes aren't genetic. You deserve to be happy and I want to be the one to make you that. I want a baby with you because I want Milo to have a sibling. I want to have another mini Alex running around the house."

Ali melted. “I want that too.”

“Yeah?” 

"Ash..." Ali murmured as Ashlyn continued to kiss her neck. "I want you to make love to me." 

"What about dinner?”

"What about it?" Ali shot back seductively. 

Ashlyn pulled back to look at her, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "I guess that brings me to your next surprise."

Ali’s lips twitched upwards. "What have you done?" 

Ashlyn took her hand and led her back off the roof and towards the penthouse suite. 

“Wow." Was all Ali managed to say as they walked inside. The room was huge and the view was beautiful. She could feel Ashlyn's eyes on her as she looked around in bewilderment, and she turned towards her wife. “You really did pull out all stops.”

Ashlyn shrugged casually and dimmed the lights. She walked to the panel in the wall that revealed the audio system and turned on a soft jazz song. 

"Very presumptuous of you to get us this room, Ms. Krieger-Harris.” Ali walked over to her and began to undo her tie. 

"I had no expectations.” Ashlyn shamelessly eyed Ali up and down. “Only hope." 

“Only hope, huh?” Ali smirked and turned around. 

Ashlyn got the message and gently unzipped her dress before helping her out of it. She briefly pressed her lips against the brunette's shoulder. "You're so beautiful." She brushed Ali's hair aside and started a slow trail of kisses up her neck. "I'm so lucky to call you mine.”

Ali shuddered and closed her eyes, getting lost in the feeling of Ashlyn's lips nibbling gently on the sensitive skin of her neck. After a moment, she forced herself to turn around and cupped Ashlyn's cheek in her hand, connecting their lips in a kiss. Ashlyn smiled into it, tilting her head to the side to gain better access. 

They kissed lazily for a while before Ali pulled back and watched as hazel eyes slowly blinked open. She smiled and smoothed her thumb down Ashlyn's jaw and over the corner of her mouth. She leaned in to sweetly kiss the tip of Ashlyn's nose as she dropped her hands down to the blonde's waist and slowly ran them up and down her sides. Ashlyn chewed on her bottom lip as Ali unbuttoned her shirt.

Soon, they were both in their underwear, and Ali moved to stand behind Ashlyn. She rested her chin on Ashlyn's shoulder and gently ran her hands over her wife's abdomen, tenderly massaging the area just below her belly button. “What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing.”

"Tell me." Ali said softly, nuzzling her nose against Ashlyn's cheek. "You're so tense."

Ashlyn sighed and her eyes flickered down to the floor. 

Ali frowned in concern and turned Ashlyn around in her arms, reaching up to gently caress her cheek. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I just want tonight to be perfect." Ashlyn admitted in a soft voice.

"And it will be." Ali said, tucking a few strands of hair behind Ashlyn's ear. "Making love to you is always perfect because it's with you and you're the love of my life."

A small smile formed on Ashlyn's lips but it faltered when she remembered what they were talking about. "I’m just so sorry about everything that happened." She replied, scratching the back of her head in embarrassment. "And I know I’ve apologized a hundred times already but… damn it…. I’m so sorry, Alex.”

"Stop." Ali leaned in to place a feather-light kiss on the corner of her mouth. "It’s time to put all that behind us. Being with you is more natural than breathing so don’t worry, okay?"

Ashlyn nodded slowly. "Okay."

Ali smiled and pulled her into a kiss. Ashlyn immediately relaxed into the contact, placing her hands on Ali's hips and kissing her back just as eagerly. Ali let out a small moan, happy that all tension seemed to have left Ashlyn's body.

Ashlyn didn't think she'd ever get over how good it felt to kiss Ali. It was better than anything she could ever imagine. Ali's lips were soft and gentle, moving against her own as if they were made to fit. Ali's fingers trailed up the spine of Ashlyn's neck, playing with the soft hair at the base, and Ashlyn smiled into the kiss. She angled her head to the side and swiped her tongue across Ali's bottom lip, requesting entry. Ali obliged and she couldn't help but whimper softly when their tongues brushed against each other.

She pushed Ashlyn backwards until the blonde's legs hit the edge of the bed and she fell back on it, pulling Ali with her. Ali pulled away from Ashlyn's lips and started to trail kisses down her neck, sucking on the skin and swirling her tongue over it. Ashlyn let out a soft moan, "Feels good."

Ali smiled and lifted her head to capture Ashlyn's lips with her own again. Ashlyn reached for Ali's warm hand and held it tightly in her own, intertwining their fingers. A shiver tore through her frame when Ali placed her free hand on her thigh, her fingertips grazing the hem of her boxers. The brunette lightly bit down on Ashlyn's bottom lip before releasing it and pulling back to meet Ashlyn's eyes. Ashlyn smiled bashfully before raising Ali's hands to her lips, tenderly kissing the ring around her finger. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." Ali whispered against Ashlyn’s lips that quivered slightly when her hot breath ghosted over them. Her heart was racing in her chest. Ashlyn was looking at her with nothing but adoration, as if she was the only thing that mattered in the world and it made her feel so special. Her lips lightly skimmed Ashlyn's again, but instead of kissing her, she gently grazed her mouth over her cheek, up to her ear. Her hand moved higher up Ashlyn's thigh, moving dangerously close to where Ashlyn needed her the most, causing Ashlyn to whimper softly. She pulled Ashlyn's earlobe between her teeth and gave it a light tug before whispering, "Do you want me?"

Ashlyn took a calming breath as she nodded quickly, allowing Ali to stay in control. She knew that’s what she needed right now. Ali always touched her in all the right places and she was already so aroused, as embarrassing as it was. A groan of frustration left her lips when Ali's hands moved up her body, stopping at her breasts to cup them gently over the material of her bra. Ashlyn arched into the touch and Ali stifled her moan of pleasure by capturing her lips in a heated kiss, their tongues clashing together.

Ali reached behind Ashlyn's back to unclasp her bra and Ashlyn let it slide off her arms. Ali bit her lip when her wife's breasts were revealed. She slowly ran her hands up Ashlyn's sides, tickling her ribcage, causing the blonde's breathing to grow shallow. Ali didn't break eye-contact as she let her fingers run over the skin of Ashlyn's breasts, brushing her thumbs over her nipples, earning a soft whimper from Ashlyn. 

Ali leaned down, leaving soft kisses on Ashlyn's skin until she reached her destination. Ashlyn's breath hitched as Ali's tongue traced over nipple, her fingers tangling in dark locks. Her other hand reached for the clasp of Ali's bra and she quickly unfastened it, desperate to see Ali too.

Ali leaned back and slid the straps off her shoulders, letting the garment fall to the floor. She watched as Ashlyn's eyes darted around, taking in every inch of her until she swallowed the and reached up to brush some hair away from Ali's face. "I've missed you.”

She craned her neck to press a kiss to Ali's lips. Ali kissed her back for a moment before she broke away and started to place kisses along the blonde's jawline, nipping lightly on the skin, careful not to leave any marks. Her hands found Ashlyn's breasts again and she gently started to massage the flesh, feeling Ashlyn's nipples harden under her touch. 

Ashlyn let out a shuddering breath, her hips bucking up on instinct, desperately looking for some friction, as another whimper escaped her lips. Ali shushed her with a kiss as one of her hands slowly glided down her stomach. "What do you want, baby?"

Ashlyn gasped when Ali's hand found its way between her legs, cupping her gently. Her eyes fluttered shut as her hips continued to buck up, her thoughts barely coherent through the haze in her mind. "P-Please…"

"Tell me." Ali husked, her lips grazing the sensitive skin just below Ashlyn's ear. "Tell me what you want."

"You, inside." Ashlyn whimpered desperately, her eyes squeezed shut so tightly that she thought they would explode. "Please Alex."

Deciding to take pity on her wife, Ali hooked her fingers into Ashlyn's boxers and slowly pulled the fabric down, revealing Ashlyn's glistening flesh. She groaned and slid her fingers through Ashlyn's folds, gathering as much wetness as possible before coming up to her clit to rub small circles over it, applying just the right amount of pressure. Ashlyn's jaw dropped slightly, her breathing speeding up, her cheeks flushed with arousal. Ali alternated between fast and slow circles, building Ashlyn up and then slowing down again, making Ashlyn groan in frustration, until her movements stilled altogether.

"Alex!" Ashlyn whined, desperate for release.

"Look at me." Ali demanded, brushing their noses together before kissing her softly on the lips. Ashlyn took a deep breath as she slowly blinked her eyes open, her hazel orbs a shade darker than usual. Ali felt her own arousal build as she took in Ashlyn's disheveled appearance and she bit down harshly on her bottom lip as her fingers started to move again, exploring Ashlyn's folds as if it was their first time together. "You're so wet."

Ashlyn nodded frantically, circling her arms around Ali's neck and lightly digging her nails into the other woman's shoulders to urge her on. Not wanting to torture Ashlyn any longer, Ali ran her fingers down the blonde's slit and to her entrance. She circled it a few times, not being able to resist teasing Ashlyn just a little bit longer, before finally sliding two fingers inside. Ashlyn let out a deep, satisfied moan as her walls clenched tightly around the intrusion, already dangerously close to the edge.

"Fuck." She groaned, throwing her head back as Ali found a rhythm, her thrusts deep and slow. 

Ali kept a steady pace, curling her fingers with each strong pump of her hand, as Ashlyn rolled her hips so that she was basically riding her. Ali watched her wife's reactions carefully, feeling the trembling of her body against hers, her eyes struggling to stay open. She lowered her head and sucked one of Ashlyn’s nipples into her mouth, flicking her tongue over it. 

A shuddering moan escaped Ashlyn's throat and she tangled her fingers into Ali's hair. "Babe, I-I…"

Ali could tell that Ashlyn was close by the way her walls kept fluttering around her fingers. She pulled back to meet Ashlyn's eyes as she flicked her thumb over the blonde's clit, making her gasp in surprise. It only took a few more thrusts before Ashlyn froze, her features contorting in pleasure as she was send over the edge. “Alex!”

Ali felt more wetness pool between her legs at the sound of Ashlyn choking out her name. She gently helped her ride out her orgasm until her body finally stilled. Ali slowly removed her fingers, now coated in Ashlyn's juices, and brought them to her lips, licking them clean. "You taste so good, Ash."

Ashlyn watched her with hooded eyes, her chest heaving rapidly as she tried to catch her breath. A few moments passed, Ali watching her intently, before she curled her hand around the back of Ali's neck and pulled her down, bringing their lips together in a lazy kiss. She placed her hands on Ali's shoulders and suddenly flipped them over, effectively breaking their kiss. Brown eyes clouded over as Ashlyn's lips moved down to her neck. "It's my turn to taste." She murmured lowly, her words vibrating against Ali's smooth skin.

"Oh God." Ali groaned as Ashlyn's mouth started to make its way down her body, stopping at her collarbone and firmly biting down on it. She placed her hands on Ashlyn's sweaty back, holding her closely as she continued to manipulate her body in the best possible ways. Ashlyn's tongue darted out and licked a slow trail down the valley of Ali's breasts, as she pressed her thigh between the brunette's legs. Ali gasped in response. "Fuck, Ash, I need you so bad."

Ashlyn let her teeth scrape over Ali's abs as she continued to move down, pausing briefly to press a sweet kiss just above her belly button. She smiled when she felt the muscles flex under her touch, her eyes flickering up to meet Ali's dark ones. Ali brought her hand to her hair and brushed a few strands away from her face, tucking them behind her ear. Ashlyn felt a warm feeling course through her veins at the gesture. 

She slowly pulled Ali’s panties down her legs before spreading her legs and continuing to move down until Ali's intoxicating scent invaded her senses. She automatically licked her lips as she eyed Ali's glistening center. "So fucking beautiful."

Ali's fingers tightened in her wife's hair as she waited impatiently for her to do something. The blonde started to place kisses on the insides of Ali's thighs until she was practically whimpering underneath her. Finally, she leaned in to place a kiss on Ali's clit. Ali breathed out a sigh of frustration. "Don't tease."

Ashlyn considered calling her out on the teasing she had made her go through not that long ago but she couldn't bring herself to care about that with her lying underneath her, completely exposed and vulnerable, begging to be touched. 

Ali was about to complain again but her words died on her lips when she felt Ashlyn's warm tongue slide through her folds. She inhaled sharply and arched her back, not being able to stop her hips from bucking up. Ashlyn allowed her to thrust against her face for a few moments, moaning into her heated flesh, before she placed her arm over Ali's hips to keep her still.

"Please." Ali whimpered as Ashlyn circled her entrance. Ashlyn groaned as she collected the brunette's wetness on her tongue before moving up again, up her slit and over her clit. She stroked Ali's clit softly, feeling the other woman's thighs quiver against the sides of her head, before she moved down again. Ali threw her arm over her face when Ashlyn plunged her tongue inside, muffling a scream. 

Ashlyn thrust in and out of her for a while, slowly building her up, and Ali almost cried when she felt her pull out. It turned into a moan when Ashlyn wrapped her lips around her clit and sucked eagerly. The coil in her stomach tightened and she knew she wouldn't be able to last much longer. To double her pleasure, Ashlyn eased two fingers into her entrance and she lost it almost immediately. A particular well-aimed thrust and Ashlyn's teeth grazing over her clit was all she needed and she came with a broken scream of Ashlyn's name, her body convulsing. Ashlyn quickly replaced her fingers with her tongue and licked up everything Ali had to offer.

Ali collapsed back on the bed with a satisfied sigh, lazily stroking her fingers through Ashlyn's hair as the taller woman slowly kissed her way up her stomach. She pressed a sweet kiss to Ali's lips and another one to her sweaty brow before she snuggled against her wife, resting her hand on her abs that were still quivering slightly. Ali smiled contentedly and wrapped her arms around Ashlyn, holding her as closely as possible. "That was amazing."

"You're amazing." Ashlyn murmured sleepily, burying her face into the curve of Ali's neck.

Ali stroked her hand up and down Ashlyn's back, lulling her into a state of absolute peace. Her soft, even breaths tickled the skin of Ali's neck and she realized that she had already drifted off to sleep. Ali smiled and turned her head to nuzzle her nose into Ashlyn's soft hair. Her frame fit perfectly against hers and there was nothing that felt more right than holding Ashlyn like this, touching her. 

Her mom was wrong. Sierra was wrong. Ashlyn loved her beyond a shadow of a doubt and no one would ever make her believe differently again.

She listened to Ashlyn's steady breathing for another moment before she closed her eyes and gave into her own exhaustion.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

“Milo, can you come here for a minute?" Sierra asked sweetly as Milo climbed the jungle gym on the playground during recess.

Milo looked up and his face lit up when he saw who had called out for him. “Ms. Stewart!” He ran up to her and threw his arms around her waist. "I've missed you. Why aren't you in my class no more?" 

"I think you mean why aren't you in my class anymore, sweetie." She said, running her hands through his hair. He was a beautiful little boy. He looked a lot like Ali but when she stared at him, she saw Ashlyn in him. She loved him as if he belonged to her and Ashlyn. “Can you do something for me?”

“Sure.”

"Promise me that we will be secret friends." 

Milo tilted his head in confusion. “Secret friends?”

"Yes.” Sierra smiled, running her hand over his cheek affectionately. “Whatever we do or wherever we go, it will always be our secret." 

"Like a spy? Me and momma watched a spy movie and everything was a secret." 

Sierra laughed softly. “Like a spy, yeah." Milo turned to run back to the playground but she stopped him by grabbing his arm. “Milo.”

“Yes?” He asked impatiently, eager to go join his friends.

"Who picks you up from school? Your grandma?" 

"I don’t know.” Milo shrugged. “My grandma hasn't picked me up in a while. Uncle Max did yesterday." 

“Okay sweetie.” Sierra let him go and crossed her arms over her chest, watching him for a while. He may look like Ali but his personality was all Ashlyn. She loved Ashlyn so therefore she also loved Milo. 

“Eliza, what are you doing?" Ms. Gale interrupted her thoughts, approaching her with an angry expression on her face. 

"I was just speaking to him." Sierra said, rolling her eyes. 

"His mother doesn't want you around him. She made that very clear. I will have to tell her about this." 

Sierra narrowed her eyes in a challenging manner. "You do that and I will tell the Headmaster about you and Pete the janitor." She snapped. Ms. Gale stepped back in surprise. She looked at Sierra with contempt before storming off to call her class off the playground. Sierra watched Milo skip over to his teacher and smiled to herself. "It's okay, sweetie, I will protect you." 

\----

Ashlyn sat in her office, tossing her stress ball in the air. She had never felt closer to Ali and was so relieved that they were back on the same page. It seemed like things were finally starting to get back to normal. But, as if the devil himself was tempting her, there was a knock on her office door.

“Yeah?”

Sierra peeked inside. "Is this a bad time?" 

"Sierra?" Ashlyn sat upright, confused. 

She came in smiling, and closed the door behind her. "Hi Ash." 

"I thought you left.” Ashlyn spoke in a monotone voice, trying not to let her annoyance show through. Seriously, why did the universe hate her? “What are you doing here?" 

"I came here to thank you." 

"Thank me?" Ashlyn echoed warily.

"Yes for getting me my job back." Sierra explained, sitting down. "The Headmaster said that what you said got through to him. He gave me back my job." 

Ashlyn’s face scrunched up as her confusion tripled. “What? I never asked him.”

"Yes you did.” Sierra said with a chuckle, getting confused too. “And I know why you did it."

“Huh?”

"Because you didn't want me to leave.” Sierra shrugged, folding her hands together in her lap. "You needed to keep me near. Ash, I feel the same way. This town feels like home to me."

Ashlyn stared at her for a moment, trying to get a read on her. The expression on her face was off. Everything about her was off. She seemed completely detached from reality. "Sierra, are you alright?" 

"I am now." She said seductively. 

"Look, I don't know what the Headmaster told you but I didn't campaign for you to get your job back.” Ashlyn told her patiently. “I just didn't want you to get fired. I have no desire to keep you here in town. As a matter of fact, I think it would be good for you if you left.”

Sierra’s face darkened. "That's not true.” 

"What's not true?" 

"That it would be good for me if I left.” She said persistently. “What would be good for me is to have my life back. My life with you." 

Ashlyn got up from her seat and walked around her desk. "Sierra, this isn’t healthy. You are fixated on something that's not real. We aren't an option. You need to move on." 

“Milo is your son and I get that, Ash, but soon we will be a family.” Sierra smiled and got to her feet as well, heading to the door. “You’ll see.” 

Ashlyn clenched her jaw. "Stay away from Milo and Ali." She said seriously. "Let it go and leave. This will be the last time I tell you this." 

Sierra turned around, her smile still present. "You'll see, Ash." She said again and walked out. 

Ashlyn slumped back into her chair, her shoulders slumping tiredly as she absorbed Sierra’s strange visit. She didn't want her here. She had told Ali that she was leaving but it seemed like she hadn’t gotten through to her after all. Even more strange was the ominous tone in her voice. It creeped her out.

She would talk to Ali about this as soon as she got home.

\-------

Ali had her head down as she worked on her deposition when she heard a knock on her open door. She looked up to see Stan standing there. "Stan, what a pleasant surprise." She said sarcastically. “What can I do for you?”

"Hi Ali." He smiled and walked in. 

Ali eyed him warily. "What brings you by?"

“Well, I heard about your dinner with Ashlyn last night at the Towers." He said, staring at Ali who blushed and dropped her gaze. "Was it nice?" 

Ali smiled uneasily, wondering why he cared. “It was beautiful.”

"Good.” Stan leaned against her desk, his face blank. “After that horrible scene at The Sunset Inn I was afraid you two would never get passed it." 

Ali's smile dropped off her face. "Excuse me?" 

“I’m friends with Mark Parsons, the owner of the Towers, in case you forgot.” Stan said with a bite to his tone that Ali was unfamiliar with. “He told me that Ashlyn used the roof for a romantic gesture and although I think that's grand, I find it highly inappropriate." 

Ali didn’t know what to think. Something was off with him. She had never seen him be this rude before. It was almost like he was taunting her. "Stan, what do you want from me? This is really none of your business." 

"I’m just telling you what everyone else thinks.“ 

Ali was dumbfounded. Where was this suddenly coming from? “Mark gave Ash permission himself so I don’t see the problem.”

“Forget it.” Stan’s face tightened. “So how's that beautiful little boy of yours?" 

“He’s fine.” Ali said slowly.

Stan nodded and pushed himself off her desk. “Have a nice day, Ali.”

Ali waited until he was gone before she released a deep breath. “What the hell?”

\------

Ashlyn walked into the Niki’s work building and headed for her friend’s office when she saw her standing in the hall, talking with some other colleagues. She looked up and smiled when she saw Ashlyn, excusing herself. 

"Hey.”

“Niki, can we talk?" Ashlyn asked. 

"Sure." Niki frowned at Ashlyn’s serious tone and led her towards her office. As soon as she closed the door behind her, Ashlyn cut right to the chase.

“It’s Sierra.”

Niki blinked, and then sighed sadly. “You and Ali can’t get past this, huh?”

“Ali and I are fine.” Ashlyn snapped defensively.

Niki threw up her hands. “Okay… Christ Ash, what’s wrong then?”

“I’m sorry.” Ashlyn mumbled, plopping down in a chair. "Something is off about Sierra.” 

“What do you mean?”

"She came to see me.” Ashlyn explained, running her hand through her hair. She suddenly felt exhausted. She was sure that if she closed her eyes she’d fall asleep. “She told me she’s staying in town. She referred to me and her as a family." 

"Oh…” Niki breathed out, realization washing over her. “She's having a hard time getting over you." 

"It's more than that." Ashlyn said, looking frustrated. "For the first time since I've known her she seems lost." 

Niki nodded in understanding. “How can I help?” 

"You two had a good relationship once.” Ashlyn looked at her with pleading eyes. “I can't get involved. Could you talk to her? Get her to understand why she needs to leave? Help her. Please." 

Niki smiled sadly. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Ashlyn sighed in relief and stood up. “Thank you. I don’t want to burden Ali with this.”

"Ash." Niki stopped her from leaving.

“Yeah?" 

"Are you really over her?" 

Ashlyn met Niki’s concerned eyes with her own and nodded confidently. "Completely.”

\-----

Ali smiled when she saw Milo running up to her, his book bag bouncing against his back. “Hi mommy!”

"Hey baby." She said, rubbing his head. She looked up at Ms. Gale and waved. The teacher half smiled and waved but then quickly turned away and headed in the other direction. Ali frowned but didn’t think anything of it. 

After securing Milo in the car, she got behind the wheel and pulled out of the parking space. "So how was school today?"

“Good. I made you a picture for your office." Milo replied, reaching for his book bag. 

"Thank you, honey.” Ali glanced at him in the rearview mirror. “Leave it until we get home." 

Milo nodded. “Mommy, I have a secret.”

"You do?" Ali asked, only half listening because of her attempt to merge back into traffic.

"Yep! I'm a spy and I have to keep a secret about my friend.” 

Ali blinked, suddenly more alert, and looked at him again. "You're a spy with a secret friend?" 

"Yep, Ms. Stewart!" 

Ali almost swerved the car off the road. "What?" 

Milo grinned at her, completely oblivious to her thoughts. "Ms. Stewart and I are spies and we have a secret." 

"Milo, is Ms. Stewart at your school again?” Ali asked, her voice strained with concern. 

"Yes I saw her today."

Ali’s knuckles turned white as she tightened her grip on the steering wheel. “Really?”

"She told me that we are spies and we have a secret." Milo repeated again, frustrated as to why Ali didn’t get it. 

“Milo, you don't keep secrets from me and momma." Ali said sternly, focusing her eyes on the road again. She didn’t want Milo to notice that she was close to exploding. She thought she wouldn’t have to deal with that woman ever again.

Milo looked confused. "Even if I'm a spy?" 

"That's right.” Ali replied, her temper almost reaching its boiling point. “Even if you're a spy. You tell us everything." 

"Okay mommy." 

"What else did Ms. Stewart say?" 

Milo shrugged and stared out the window. “I don’t know.”

"It's important, sweetie.” Ali stressed, trying to remain calm for her son’s sake. “Can you remember what else? Please try." 

Milo sighed dramatically and reached for his book bag again, disinterested in the conversation. "She wanted to know who picks me up from school.” 

Ali’s body trembled with rage. How dare that bitch approach her child and tell him to keep it a secret? Why did she ask him who picked him up? Why the hell did she want that information? This was the last straw. Milo would not be going back to that school. She and Ashlyn would have a talk about this later.

\------

That night, Ashlyn closed the door behind her and walked further into the house, dropping her keys on the table. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, breathing out a slow sigh as she tried to get her thoughts in order. The rest of her day had been pretty uneventful, except for the loads of paperwork she had to work through, but she felt emotionally drained and exhausted.

She headed into the living room, knowing that Milo was already in bed, and smiled tiredly when she saw Ali sitting there in the armchair. “Hey.”

“Hi.”

Ashlyn went to lean down for a kiss but refrained when she noticed the look of anger on Ali’s face. “What’s wrong?”

"That woman is using my child to get to me!" Ali snapped. 

"What?" 

"Sierra!” Ali said, fuming. “She wasn't fired. Did you know that?" 

Ashlyn sighed heavily and sat down on the couch. "I found out today." 

"She approached Milo and told him that they were spies and to keep secrets.” Ali yelled, all her bottled up anger from the day spilling out at once. “She wants our baby to spy on us!" 

Ashlyn buried her face in her hands. “Alex, calm down.”

"Calm down? I told her to stay away. I told her not to mess with my family and me!" 

Ashlyn looked up. “You did what?”

"I went to see her and told her to stay away from my family." Ali snapped, glaring at her. 

“You asked me to handle it." Ashlyn mumbled, too tired to inject more energy into her voice.

“Whatever.” Ali began to pace back and forth.

Ashlyn stared at her for a moment, her movements making her dizzy. “Sierra wouldn't hurt Milo. I am sure this is a misunderstanding." 

"What?” Ali whirled around to face her. “How the hell do you know? You don't know where she's been these past years. What type of person she is now! She approached our son. Do you want him to know about this woman and her history with you?" 

Ashlyn shook her head. "Of course not."

“Milo will not be going back there. I will talk to that Headmaster and give him a piece of my mind." Ali said heatedly. "She even inquired about who picks him up. That right there lets me know she's up to something!" 

"This may be partly my fault." Ashlyn admitted weakly. 

Ali stopped pacing and stared at her. "How so?" 

"I went to the Headmaster to ask him not to fire her so her record wouldn't reflect it… so she could continue to teach elsewhere." 

Ali’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Ashlyn...”

"He misinterpreted what I said.” Ashlyn continued hurriedly. Her good intentions somehow always seemed to work against her. “I just wanted her to move on and not get more hurt than needed." 

Ali sat down in her chair. “I can’t believe you.”

“Alex, the woman is not a evil. She is a victim in this too. She had no idea I was still living here.” Ashlyn tried to justify her actions. “I made it clear to her to leave town. I just didn't feel the need to crush her before asking her to go." 

"I don't want that woman near Milo!" Ali looked at her angrily. "I don't want her to say another word to him! I mean it." 

"Okay, will you let me handle it?” Ashlyn asked, slowly pulling herself upright to walk over to Ali. “Milo loves his school and he's been pulled out of her class already so don't disrupt him any further. Let me take care of it.” 

Ali sighed when Ashlyn sat down on the armrest of her chair. “Get rid of her, Ash. Keep her away from our son." 

"I will.” Ashlyn placed her hand on Ali’s arm, relieved when Ali covered it with her own and gave it a soft squeeze. “Niki is going to deal with Sierra and I will deal with the school. I don't want you stressing over this." 

Ali trusted her wife, but her instincts told her that Milo should not be anywhere near Sierra. She bit her lip in contemplation and gave Ashlyn’s hand another squeeze before releasing it. “Just handle it, Ash. If she so much as looks at him again, I will snatch him out and you won't stop me." 

Ashlyn nodded and followed Ali with her eyes as the brunette got up and left the room. She groaned and rubbed her face. "Damn it Sierra… What are you up to?"


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Ashlyn was still sitting in the living room, drinking her beer and thinking of what Ali said to her. She was doing it again; she was allowing others to influence and interfere with her family. She should have been firmer with Sierra, maybe even take legal action. But it was hard for her to come to terms with the fact that the woman she once thought she knew now seemed to have disappeared completely. It was like Sierra was a different person.

Ali said that she didn't know Sierra anymore because so much time had passed. She was right. What had Sierra been up to all those years? How did she handle being isolated from her friends and family? What did that isolation do to her? Approaching Milo was way out of line. Her son wasn’t supposed to suffer even a moment of pain or hurt because of her past mistakes. She would make sure of that. 

She put down her beer and leaned her head back, looking at the ceiling. Ali was probably in bed and she didn't want to fight with her. They had just gotten back on track. She sighed and stood up. As she began to climb the stairs, she reflected on her constant battle to convince Ali that her love for her was solid. It shouldn't be this hard. 

She walked into the bedroom and saw that the lights were off. As she removed her clothes, she saw Ali stir from the corner of her eye so she knew that her wife wasn't quite asleep just yet. Ashlyn climbed under the covers and curled up behind Ali, wrapping her arms around her waist. 

Ali didn't turn to look at her like she normally would so Ashlyn knew she was mad. 

"You asleep?" She whispered, pressing a kiss below her ear. 

"No." Ali said softly. 

Ashlyn slipped a hand underneath Ali’s t-shirt, caressing her stomach. “I’m sorry, babe.”

"Don't be sorry.” Ali sighed, shifting in Ashlyn’s embrace to get more comfortable. “Just make her go away. For real this time. Talking to her isn't enough anymore." 

"Alex, I can't make her do anything.” Ashlyn pressed her face against Ali’s shoulder, causing her voice to sound slightly muffled. “But I can keep her away from you and Milo, and I swear I will. Even if I have to take serious matters." 

Ali turned around in Ashlyn’s arms. "I know you are doing the best you can but I would like the peace and calm back in our lives. The last years have been wonderful… I don't want that to change.” She placed her hand on Ashlyn’s cheek, looking at her intently. “We have a son and we have to protect him." 

"I know.” Ashlyn replied. “I swear to you that I will keep you and Milo safe. Sierra may be a lot of things lately but she isn't crazy. She wouldn't hurt our son." 

"You don't get it, Ash.” Ali argued, not moving away. She knew that Ashlyn had a hard time accepting that Sierra wasn’t the person she thought she was, and being hard on her wasn’t going to help. “It doesn’t matter if you think she wouldn’t. You shouldn’t be considering her well-being at all. Milo is who is important here. You have to put him first." 

Ashlyn’s face tensed slightly. “If you want to pull him out of school then fine.”

Ali was silent for a moment. She didn't want to fight with Ashlyn anymore, but the idea of that woman making some kind of pact with her child frightened her. She knew that maybe Ashlyn was right and her fears were irrational given their connection, but they were there anyway. 

“I’m sorry, sweetie.” She lightly stroked Ashlyn’s cheek. “I trust you to protect us.”

Ashlyn swallowed. "I will always protect you. I just want you to believe in me again." 

Ali pressed a kiss to her lips. “I do.” Ashlyn’s face relaxed with relief, and Ali tucked her head under the blonde’s chin, burying her face in the curve of her neck and inhaling her scent. “I love you so much it hurts sometimes.”

"I know, baby, I know." Ashlyn murmured, nuzzling her nose into Ali's hair before pressing a kiss to the side of her head. "I love you too."

\------

The following morning, Ashlyn brought Milo to school. 

“Momma, will you pick me up too?" He asked, looking up at her as she led him inside. 

Ashlyn shot him a small smile. "I sure will, buddy." 

"Cool."

After dropping Milo off at class, Ashlyn headed to the Headmaster's office. What she didn’t know was that Sierra had seen her and once Ashlyn had gone inside, the woman stood outside the door to listen. 

"Mrs Krieger-Harris… what a surprise." 

“We need to talk.” Ashlyn said seriously. 

"Is everything okay?" 

“No.” Ashlyn sat down. "I was under the impression that Ms. Stewart would no longer be at your school, but apparently I was wrong. Care to explain?" 

The Headmaster shifted nervously under Ashlyn’s angry gaze. "Well, after careful thought and your sincere request I thought maybe I had been too hasty in my decision." 

"My wife and I are concerned about her having access to our son. Yesterday she cornered him and suggested that they keep secrets together. She asked Milo to spy at home." 

Sierra’s mouth dropped. Ali had misinterpreted what she said to Milo and now she was using Ashlyn to get her fired again. That woman was a piranha! She would return to her hotel and start packing. Her plan had to be moved up. She rushed away from the door. 

The Headmaster looked at Ashlyn in shock. "Excuse me, she did what?"

"Listen, my wife wants to pull Milo from your school and I'm trying to convince her that we can handle this. If you don’t want to fire Ms. Stewart then I would at least appreciate it if you respect our wishes and keep them apart." 

The Headmaster understood. "This is getting way out of hand. I will speak to Eliza today. I apologize."

Ashlyn nodded and thanked him before leaving. She considered going to see Sierra but thought better of it. She would let Niki deliver her message. 

\-----

Sierra rushed into the Sunset Inn. She had no time to waste. She already had little time to pack. The others were waiting for her. As she headed towards the elevator, she didn’t notice Niki approaching her. 

“Sierra?”

She turned around, slightly out of breath. “Oh hey Niki. What’s up?”

"Do you have a minute? I'd like to talk to you.” 

"Actually I'm in a hurry.” Sierra said, looking at the numbers of the elevator slowly drop.

"It will only take a minute. I promise." 

Sierra sighed impatiently and glanced at her watch. “Okay fine.”

Niki looked at her for a moment and decided that a calm approach would be her best shot. “How are you?”

“I’m really good.” Sierra smiled, fiddling with her hands. “And you?”

"I'm getting married so everything is good for me now." Niki said with a soft laugh. She tilted her head, her face turning serious. "I want to talk to you about Ash, Sierra.” 

Sierra tensed and eyed her nervously. “What about her?”

“You have to let her go.” Niki said gently.

"I have no idea what you’re talking about." Sierra mumbled, averting her eyes. 

"I think you do.” Niki shoved her hands into her pockets. “She's happy with Ali and she loves her family. There is no future for you two. It’s best if you move on." 

"Best for who exactly?" The other woman asked heatedly. 

Niki blinked at the change in her attitude. "For the both of you, of course." 

"I don't agree. Ash loves me today as much as she loved me when she thought I died.”

Niki took a deep breath, trying not to lose her patience. "Sierra, have you taken a look at her? She's head over heels in love with her wife and their family. She's worried that you are becoming obsessed and I have to agree with her." 

Sierra glared at her. "For years I suffered and wondered where she was and how she was doing. For years I tried to move past my love and need for her. For years I sacrificed my happiness so that she could live normally. Now it's our turn. That woman doesn't deserve her and she will soon realize that." 

She stormed into the elevator before Niki had the chance to say anything. She stood there stunned at first, not knowing what to do. Then she pulled her phone out of her pocket and called Ashlyn. "Ash, you were right to be worried… I think you've got a big problem.”

\------

Milo was so excited. Today Ashlyn was picking him up and that meant she would do something fun with him. Maybe she would take him for pizza or she would want want to go to the park. 

He heard Ms. Gale telling everyone to line up to go outside. He grabbed his backpack and ran to the door with the other kids. Before stepping outside, he looked back and saw the picture he made today still in the finger paint station. It was a picture he had made of Ashlyn catching a bad guy. He had to go get it. 

"Milo, line up please." Ms. Gale said as the other kids filed out of the classroom. 

"Ms. Gale, can I go back and get my picture?" He asked. 

Ms. Gale looked over her shoulder and sighed in frustration. The other kids were already in the hall and mixing with the other classes so she looked at one of the other teachers and asked, "Ms. Green, could you watch my class while I retrieve the kids’ pictures? I forgot to pass them out after they dried." 

Ms. Green smiled. "Go ahead. I will have them line up with my class." 

Milo walked to the end of the line to wait for them to go outside. He heard someone whisper his name behind him and he turned around to see Ms. Stewart standing further down the hall just around the corner. He grinned at her. 

Sierra waved for him to come to her. Milo ran up to her without thinking. As soon as he got close enough, Sierra grabbed his hand and quickly escorted him to the door.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Ms. Gale appeared 5 minutes later. The kids had already marched out of the school to wait for the carpool to start to pick them up. She started passing out the finger paints to each child. When she got to Milo's picture, she frowned because he wasn't in line. 

She walked over to Ms. Green who was helping a student get in a car. "Was Milo picked up?" She asked.

"Which one is Milo?" Ms. Green asked sheepishly, closing the parents' car door.

Ms. Gale turned around and saw Ashlyn's car in the carpool line, and her heart began to pound in her chest. She reluctantly walked up to the vehicle. Ashlyn let down the window and smiled politely. 

"Mrs. Krieger-Harris, did you send someone earlier to pick up Milo?" Ms. Gale asked nervously.

"What?" Ashlyn put the car in park and got out. The look on the teacher's face concerned her. "Where is Milo?"

Ms. Gale turned around and looked at the kids all lined up for their parents and started to panic. "He was just here." She said weakly.

Ashlyn felt her blood run cold. She pushed past the other woman and ran into the school. She went from classroom to classroom, calling out Milo's name, as her heart raced in her chest. Something was wrong. She could feel it.

Ms. Gale had gotten the Headmaster who came running down the hall. Ashlyn turned and looked at them, her face twisting into an angry expression. 

"Where is my son?" She yelled, grabbing the Headmaster by the collar of his shirt and throwing him up against the wall. "Tell me where he is!"

"Ma'am please calm down." The man wheezed out, struggling against the firm grip Ashlyn had on her. "I'm sure he's here somewhere."

Ashlyn dropped him and grabbed her phone to call several units to the school immediately. She then pushed past him and went to the traffic guard directing the carpool away from the school.

"Not another car!" She barked at him. She was in full panic mode now. Her vision was starting to blur because of her tears. "Don't let another car leave these premises. We have a missing child." 

The traffic guard nodded and stopped the cars with his whistle. Ashlyn ran back into the school, completely overcome by fear.

\-----

In the meantime, Milo was sitting in the back of Ms. Stewart's car, looking out the window. She was taking him to his momma. It was a secret and they were spies.

"Momma is going to be so surprised!" He said, grinning.

 "Yes honey." Sierra smiled, turning onto the highway. "Momma is going to be really surprised."

\-----

Ali was still at court, talking to Max. The judge had finally agreed to a plea bargain and the Schilling kid would be send to a minimum security prison. Their conversation was interrupted when Ali's phone beeped and she looked at it to see Ashlyn's name flash across the screen.

"Excuse me, Max." She said before answering the call. "Hey baby, what's up?"

 "Alex, it's Milo." Ashlyn choked out.

Ali's heart stopped. "What is it, Ash?" She asked urgently, her voice shaking.

"He's missing and we're trying to find him." Ashlyn began to cry, her emotions hitting her all at once now that she was talking to her wife. They had looked everywhere for Milo but he was nowhere on the premises.

Ali dropped her briefcase, causing the contents to spill all over the floor. "Ash, please what do you mean missing?" She asked weakly, feeling her strength drain from her.

Max bent over to pick up Ali's briefcase when he heard the word "missing", making him stop; frozen.

"Alex, can you get someone to bring you to the school?" Ashlyn asked, not knowing what else to say to her wife. She knew that this was all her fault.

Ali hung up without replying. She stood there for a moment, shocked, and then... she screamed. Everyone in the courthouse turned around to stare at her and a few guards ran toward them. Max took Ali in his arms and dragged her outside. 

\----

Ashlyn talked to Ms. Green and Ms. Gale over and over again. Milo was in line, then the kids walked out of the door and he was gone. It made no sense. She looked at the classroom her son came out of. Then she looked further up the hall and she could see that there was another door that led out of the school. Ashlyn took off in that direction with the officers following her. She opened the door and saw Milo's police badge that he kept clipped to his book bag on the ground. 

She picked it up and clutched it to her chest, feeling her heart break all over again. She burst into a fresh round of tears as she held the badge. Why did bad things keep happening to her and her family? What had they done to deserve this?

\-----

Ali jumped out of the car before Max could completely stop it. She ran past the police officers and into the school where she saw the Headmaster.

"Where is my son?" She screamed, unable to control herself. He didn't reply but glanced over Ali's shoulder. When Ali turned around, she saw Ms. Gale standing there and charged at her. "Where is he?"

Max caught up with Ali and grabbed her by the shoulders to keep her from attacking the teacher. He looked at the officers. "Where is Ashlyn?" 

On the the officers nodded towards the door and Ali looked up to see Ashlyn walk outside, approaching them. She ran to her but stopped when she saw Milo's badge in her hand. Ashlyn saw the horror on Ali's face and quickly closed the remaining distance between them, pulling Ali into her arms. Ali screamed her cries into Ashlyn's chest and Ashlyn did everything within her power to try to calm her but it was hard since she was anything but calm herself.

Ali pulled back to look at her. "Where is he, Ash? What happened? Is he okay? Oh my god he needs us."

"We'll find him, Alex, I just have to get a handle on what happened here." Ashlyn said just as an officer walked up to them to inform them that an AMBER ALERT had been sent out. Ashlyn nodded and looked at the Headmaster. "Do you have any cameras on this campus?"

He perked up and nodded. "I completely forgot each exit has a camera!"

 "I need to see the footage of the back door." Ashlyn snapped impatiently.

"Right this way."

Ashlyn held onto Ali who kept repeating something she couldn't hear as they followed the Headmaster inside. They grouped around a TV screen in his office as he pulled up to footage of the time Milo went missing.

Ali gasped and Ashlyn shook her head in disbelief as they saw Sierra pulling Milo out of the backdoor and towards her car. Ashlyn looked at Ali and saw the rage on her face, making her gulp. She was afraid to know what her wife was thinking.

"I need that tape." She said before focusing her attention on Ali, reaching for her hands. "I will find them."

 Ali pushed her hands away. "I told you!" She shouted, her body trembling with rage. "I told you that woman was a threat! Why the hell didn't you listen to me?"

Max looked at the screen and glanced at the Headmaster for answers. The Headmaster just looked away because he knew he was in deep now. Ms. Gale dropped her head, hoping that her slip the other day with Eliza was never uncovered.

"Alex..." Ashlyn whispered, choking on her guilt and regret.

 "Find our son!" Ali yelled at her before storming out of the room, followed by Max.

Ashlyn turned back to the screen and stared at the frozen image of Sierra and Milo leaving the school. She wanted to die.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Ali and Max walked into Stan's restaurant and went straight to his office. She didn't want to ask for his help but she knew he had the right resources and finding Milo was more important than her pride. She went inside without knocking and froze in her tracks when Stan wasn't there. Instead, one of his employees was sitting at his desk.

"Where's Stan?"

"Busy."

Max ended his phone call and placed his hand on Ali's shoulder to get her attention. "Can we talk in private?" He asked, eying Stan's employee warily. Ali nodded and allowed him to lead her to a more secluded area. "I called in some favors and guess what Stan has been up to this past week?"

Ali narrowed her eyes. "Why are you looking into him?"

"Well I'm sorry, Ali, but I don't trust the guy." Max explained calmly. "And it turns out that my instincts were right because he purchased a car and reserved a cabin." 

Ali's eyes grew big. "Why on earth would he conspire with Sierra to take my child from me?" 

 "Think about it, the man is obsessed with you. He keeps telling you that he wants you to be happy but it's obvious that he hates how he can't have you. Since you won't leave Ashlyn, he's trying to hit you where it hurts the most."

Ali swallowed thickly. Her head was swirling with mixed emotions, but she knew that there was no time to overthink things. "Where is this cabin?"

"It's about a 2 hour drive from here." Max replied. "Aren't you going to call Ash?"

Ali felt her heartbeat speed up at the mention of her wife. She felt like an idiot for not realizing that Stan was up to something this whole time. She kept blaming Ashlyn for wanting to see the good in Sierra but hadn't she done the same with Stan? All she knew was that Milo didn't have time for her to dwell on their mistakes.

"Let's just go."

Max nodded and followed her outside.

\-----

Stan walked into the cabin, absolutely livid. This is idiot of a woman was useless. He looked at Sierra sitting at the table, wringing her hands, and huffed angrily.

"Where is he?"

 "I locked him in the room. He's been crying all day and refusing to eat. Nothing I say or do calms him." Sierra said, glancing at the stairs.

"What happened?" Stan asked, taking a seat too.

 Sierra sighed sadly. "I think I pushed him too far. It all fell apart when I told him that Ali is dead." 

Stan raised his eyebrows. "So let me get this straight. You tell a frightened 5 year old boy that his mom is dead and you expect him to sit down and have ice cream with you? What the hell is the matter with you?"

Sierra flinched. What the hell was she doing? She was terrorizing a child with the assistance of this man she barely knew. Ashlyn must be sick with worry. How did she let this get so far out of hand? "I think we should call this off."

"What?"

 "I can't take him anywhere in public like this. My face and his are plastered everywhere. His screaming and crying would draw too much attention, and I can't keep him in this cabin forever." She paused before adding, "I don't want to hurt Ashlyn like this."

Stan tilted his head in thought. "We could drug him."

"Are you crazy?" Sierra asked in horror.

 Stan glared at her. "I've been called that at times." 

He cracked up at his own words and Sierra felt a shiver go down her spine. "You won't touch that boy!" 

 Stan stared at her. "And exactly what will you do to stop me?" 

Sierra felt trapped. She looked at this man and realized there was something else at work here. "Why did you offer to help me. What is it that you want really?" 

Stan kept glaring at her. "The same thing you want; revenge against Ali. We both want her to know what it's like to lose the one thing you love the most." 

"You're wrong." Sierra said pointedly. "I don't want revenge against her. I want a family. I want Ashlyn. I want to raise that precious boy as mine."

Stan chuckled. "Are you kidding me? What do they do to you folks in the witness protection program? Huh? Do they drain every cognitive reasonable brain cell you have? There is no way in hell Harris would want you. If she finds you she will take her son and not look back."

Sierra listened to Stan's taunts and knew he was right. Ashlyn would never forgive her for taking her son. She had made a horrible mistake agreeing to this. She had to find a way to fix it.

"Stan, why don't I just lay low for the next couple of weeks until Milo adjusts to being with me? Then you can get us out of here." She said, trying to sound normal.

Stan threw his head back and chuckled again. "You are cracking me up! I tried to give you a leash on this but I see kept the slack too loose. You and Milo are leaving with me today. I have plans for the both of you." He turned to his driver at the door. "Go get the boy."

Sierra jumped up from her seat to stop the driver. "No!" She yelled. The driver delivered a fierce blow to the side of her face, forcing her to the ground.

 She hung onto her consciousness and looked up through blurred eyes as he climbed the stairs. Stan stood over her, smiling. "You are such a weakling. I loathe it. I should dispose of you now, let Ashlyn find you in your own waste." 

Sierra backed away, still trying to regain her senses from the attack earlier. She heard Milo scream and looked up to see the driver carrying him out of the room.

"Please Stan, I can calm him. Please let me talk to him." She said pleadingly.

Stan looked up at the crying child and shrugged. It was a long drive to where they were going. "Shut him up or I will make him!"

\-----

Ashlyn looked down from the helicopter at the 40 or so cabins that were outlined from her view. This was impossible. The density of the forested area made it impossible to view most of them. They had searched everywhere in town and eventually decided that the woods were the best hiding place. It was worth a shot. She signaled for the pilot to land near the office. They would start there.

\-----

Ali looked out the window as Max drove. She had one of Ashlyn's guns in her purse and she knew if Sierra or Stan harmed Milo she would use it. 

Max kept glancing at her, taking his eyes off the road. "Al, why aren't you calling Ash about this?" He asked softly.

 "It's really not your business." She said coldly.

 Max sighed. "I'm not trying to pry, but she could get to the cabin quicker. He could deal with her safely." Ali bit her lip and didn't say anything. Max nodded because he began to understand. "Unless you want to be the one to find her. You want to be the one to deal with her."

Ali looked at him. "He's my son! I have no emotional connection to this bitch. I can be objective." She snapped.

"There is no way in hell you can be objective. Neither you nor Ash can. But the important thing is your son and if you two don't get on the same page he may be the one to suffer in all this." 

Ali blinked back her tears. Max's words stung and she knew he was right. She was so grateful to him for being a friend. She reached in her purse and pulled out her cell phone.

"Hey." Ashlyn answered on the first ring.

 "Ash, I think I know where Milo is." Ali rushed out.

 "What?" Ashlyn asked, not able to hear her over the sound of the helicopter.

 "Can you hear me?" Ali shouted.

 "I can't hear you, Alex. We're searching the woods. I will call you back when we land!"

Ali heard the phone go dead and turned to Max. "She's in a helicopter and can't hear me."

Max nodded and kept driving. "Well we've got about an hour to go."

"Make it half an hour." Ali said dryly, staring out the window.

\-----

Milo clung to Sierra. His head hurt from crying too much and he missed his mommy and momma. The people now in the house with him were scarier than Ms. Stewart.

 Sierra rubbed his back and sang softly to him. She told him what a brave little boy he was and that she was proud of him.

"Enough!" Stan yelled. Sierra and Milo looked up at him in shock. "It's time to go. We have a schedule to keep."

 Sierra smiled at Milo. "Come on, honey." She said, taking his hand and leading him out.

They climbed into Stan's limo and drove away.

\------

 Ashlyn walked into the Management office of the cabins, demanding to see the supervisor. She pulled out her phone and considered calling Ali back but the manger appeared at the counter.

"Ma'am, how can I help you?" He asked.

Ashlyn pulled out her badge. "We have a missing child that we believe may be in one of your cabins."

The manager looked at her in surprise. "Oh my god, what can I do?" 

 Ashlyn pulled out a picture of Sierra and Milo. "Have you seen them?" She asked desperately.

The manager studied the pictures and shook his head. "No, I'm sorry but I haven't."

 "Okay. I need to see all rentals for this week."

The manager nodded and went in the back to get his records. Ashlyn called the station and spoke to her supervisor. The authorities in the area had been notified and were sending units to her location. 

"God please let me find them soon." She muttered.

\----

Ali and Max drove around the winding roads in silence. Ali thought about Milo and how she fussed at him the morning of his abduction for not brushing his teeth. She wondered if he was upset with her about that, if he went to school thinking his mommy didn't love him.

She thought about Sierra and her asking Milo questions about her family and who picked him up. She thought about Stan prying into her business and asking her about Milo the last time they spoke. How could she or Ashlyn not have seen this coming? How could she let her son return to that school after knowing this? What this could do to Milo's innocent spirit was too much. She couldn't stomach it.

"Are you okay?" Max asked, snapping her out of her trance.

 "No." She said softly, trying to maintain control.

 "This is not your fault."

 "I'm his mother. It's my job to protect him and I failed. It's completely my fault."

Max looked at her. She seemed so vulnerable to him now. He reached over and took her hand, squeezing it. "I will help you. And we will find him."

 "Thanks." Ali mumbled absent-mindedly.

\-----

Ashlyn looked through the log. She quickly skimmed the list and was shocked at the name she saw. She looked up at the officer with her and then back at the manager. 

"Did you make this reservation for him?" She asked, turning the book back to face the manager.

The manager looked at the name and nodded. "Of course. He has been here several times and always secures the same cabin. This reservation was made over a week ago."

"Where is his cabin?" Ashlyn demanded. 

 The manager looked at her, confused. "He didn't have the kid with him; he isn't that type of..."

 Ashlyn grabbed the man by the collar, cutting him off in mid sentence. "Where the hell is his cabin?"

The man immediately gave Ashlyn the location and spare key to the cabin. She raced out of the office to several awaiting squad cars. She got in the first one and sped off.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Ali braced herself as they pulled up by Stan's cabin. There was a car parked in front of it and she had hope that meant they were still inside. She got out of the car before Max could stop her, and pulled out her gun as she ran to the door.

"Ali!" Max said in a loud whisper. She turned and looked at him for a second but then pushed against the door. It slid open because it was already ajar, and her heart pounded in her chest as she entered the cabin.

Before Max could go after her, several squad cars swung into the yard. Ashlyn jumped out of one of the vehicles and was surprised to see Max there. She rushed to him, not thinking clearly, and grabbed him by his jacket. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Ali appeared from out of the cabin and saw Ashlyn roughing up Max. "Ashlyn stop it!" She shouted with wide eyes.

Ashlyn turned around to see Ali standing there, holding a gun. She let go of Max and shook her head, dropping her arms by her sides. "Alex..."

Ali walked down the steps with the gun in one hand and Milo's book bag in the other. "They're gone..." She said through her tears.

Ashlyn just looked at her. What was she doing here? Her eyes traveled down and a mixture or anger and fear seized her heart when she saw the gun in Ali's hand. "What the hell are you doing?" 

"Doing everything in my power to save my son!" Ali screamed at her.

Ashlyn put her hand to her forehead and turned away from Ali. She was so angry with her she couldn't control herself. Ali saw her reaction and felt hurt and angry as well. She rushed to her.

"I told you this would happen! Why didn't you listen to me?"

Ashlyn turned around and grabbed her by both her arms. "What if they were here? What would you have done then?" She yelled at her, overtaken by emotion. "Would you have shot her in front of our son?"

Ali struggled under her grip. "Let me go!" 

Ashlyn let go immediately and turned away from her. "Go home."

 Ali caught up with her. "No!" She said, stepping in front of her. "Why are you behaving like this? Is it because I could have shot your precious Sierra? You don't care about finding Milo. All you care about is her!" 

Ashlyn's face fell with hurt and tears sprang to her eyes. She tried to glare at Ali but she couldn't even bring herself to do that. She pushed past Ali, heading towards the cabin. "Screw you, Alex."

Ali sat down on the edge of the porch and burst into tears. She couldn't believe she just said that. She hadn't meant it. She was just scared and confused. The hurt expression on Ashlyn's face made her feel ten times worse.

Max placed his hand on her shoulder. "Come on, Ali, we can't do anything here."

Ali looked up at him, upset. "No, I won't go anywhere yet. Not until I know what they know about Milo."

Ashlyn walked into the cabin and looked around. The officers came in behind her and she told them to check the rooms. She saw Sierra's purse and car keys. She opened the closet and saw that her suitcases were still there.

Walking over to the kitchen, she saw that there was bread and sandwich meat on the counter. This wasn't right. She thought about how the car was abandoned and about how Stan had to arrange this in advance. He must be on to them and moved Sierra and Milo to a different location. But why were all her belongings still there?

She walked to the top of the stairs and saw one of Milo's shoes in the corner. She picked it up. Milo had to have been removed by force. They were both in danger now. 

She left the cabin and headed straight to the squad car but Ali jumped up and stopped her. "What is it? What did you find?" Ashlyn ignored her and kept walking. Ali stepped in front of her, forcing her to face her. "Don't you shut me out about our son! Don't you dare."

Ashlyn looked at her coldly. "They've been taken. Where? I don't know. From what I can tell it was by force which means time is running out. If they're still alive it won't be for long if I don't find them soon."

Ali could see the rage on Ashlyn's face. In all the time she had known her, in all the arguments they had had, she had never seen her anger directed at her like this. It hurt so bad she had to look away quickly to keep herself from crying. 

Ashlyn stood there, staring at her, waiting for her to come back with some smartass remark but she didn't. All Ali could think about was the possibility of Milo dying, and that thought caused all rationality to leave her mind. She jabbed an accusative finger at Ashlyn's chest.

"I told you that Sierra was dangerous. You ignored me. You dismissed me time and time again. You told me to trust you. You let your personal feelings for this damn woman get in the way and at the same time risked our son's life!"

"Shut up!" Ashlyn snapped, shocking Ali into silence. "I have done everything in my power to find our son since the moment he was taken. I got here only minutes after you so I can't be _that_ incompetent! I am tired of you punishing me over this. I lost him too! I want him back too! I feel guilty over his abduction too! I know I failed my son. I have to live with that!"

Ali's anger disappeared instantly and was replaced by guilt instead. She opened and closed her mouth a few times but no words came out.

"I don't have time for this." Ashlyn mumbled, shaking her head in disbelief before storming off. The rest of the officers got into their squad cars and pulled out with her. She got on the phone with her supervisor and told him she would be there in a few minutes. He told her that road blocks were being set up. They couldn't have gotten far. She would take the helicopter and canvas the main road.

She thought about the argument with Ali. What had just happened between them? She had never spoken to her like that. Why did she treat her like that?

Their panic and pain over Milo was tearing at every fiber of what they had. They were both running scared and drifting further away from each other.

Ali stood there, holding Milo's book bag. She was in shock and devastated at what just happened between them.

Max walked over to her and put his arms around her shoulders. She turned around and hugged him. She cried into his chest. She had never fought like that with Ashlyn. It broke her heart. She knew she has screwed up majorly. She was just trying to find their son. 

"Ash said he could die." She said through her sobs.

 Max shook his head. "Ash won't let that happen."

"You don't know that. Why would Stan do this? What is he hoping to gain?" She asked, the panic now making her paranoid.

Max steadied her. "Ali listen, you have to hold it together. Milo needs you right now. Let me take you home." 

Ali sighed and finally agreed.

\----

That night, Ashlyn walked into the house, or more accurately, dragged herself into the house. It felt like she was seconds away from collapsing. Niki was waiting for her on the couch and two officers were in the kitchen. She looked up when she saw Ashlyn and frowned in concern. 

"You look awful."

Ashlyn had spent all night at the station. The roadblocks hadn't resulted in anything yet which meant they were probably still in the area. She just couldn't figure out where.

A witness had spotted Sierra and Milo at a Burger King near the cabins. The road they were on lead to the mountains and there were so many cabins and alternate roads in that part of the state it was impossible to get a solid lead on where they were.

"I'm exhausted." She yawned, rubbing her eyes. "Where is everyone?"

 "Ali is upstairs, getting some rest. Molly just left and will be back soon." 

Ashlyn nodded in understanding, her expression solemn. "I guess I will go check on Ali." 

Niki looked at her friend sadly. "We'll find him."

 "I know, Niki, but try telling that to Ali." Ashlyn replied before climbing the stairs.

She slowly opened the door to the bedroom and saw that Ali was asleep on top of the covers, fully dressed. She kicked off her shoes and climbed into bed with her. As soon as she lay down, Ali turned over and looked at her. 

"Any word?"

Ashlyn spoke softly. "No."

Ali's bottom lip quivered as tears welled up in her eyes. Ashlyn was still mad about what happened earlier but she couldn't stand seeing Ali cry. She quickly pulled her into her arms and Ali buried her face into her wife's neck, holding onto her for dear life. "Ash, he's only five. He's never been separated from us like this with a stranger. He has to be terrified."

Ashlyn rubbed her back and stared at the ceiling. Ali was right. Besides Deb and their close circle of friends and family, Milo had never been separated like this. Her chest tightened thinking about her son being out there somewhere, scared and feeling abandoned.

"He's a strong kid. He's probably scared but I know we'll find him soon." She said gently, trying to convince herself as well.

"He's a baby, Ash." Ali said through her tears. "Our baby. He needs us." 

Ashlyn held Ali tightly, listening to her endless sobs. She buried her nose in her wife's hair and inhaled shakily. She was barely keeping herself together. She was just as worried about Milo as Ali was but she felt like she had to stay strong for the both of them. There was no time for her to break down.

"Alex, I have to go." She whispered, pressing a kiss to the side of Ali's head. "I have to go back to the station and figure out where they took him."

Ali lifted her head off Ashlyn's chest and looked at her through red-rimmed eyes. "Can I come with you?" 

"I need you to stay here in case Sierra tries to contact us." Ashlyn replied, sitting up and rubbing her hand over her face. She could barely keep her eyes open. 

Ali saw how exhausted her wife was and her protective side took over. "Ash, are you okay?" She asked, sitting up too and placing her hand on the small of Ashlyn's back. "Maybe you should eat something before leaving."

"I'll be okay once he's home." Ashlyn said, her voice drooping along with her shoulders.

 Ali bit her lip. "Ash, can we talk about what happened?"

 Ashlyn refused to look at her. "What is there to say?"

Ali moved closer to Ashlyn and brushed her wife's hair over one shoulder, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "I'm sorry." She said softly, sincerely. "I know you're doing everything you can to find him. It was wrong of me to imply otherwise."

"I know I fucked up. I know I should've listened to you and keep Milo away from her." Ashlyn replied in a monotone voice, any fight completely drained from her. "But there's nothing I can do to change that."

"I know." Ali whispered, placing her hand on Ashlyn's arm and rubbing it soothingly. "We both made mistakes but we need to stick together. Milo needs both of us and arguing over who's at fault isn't going to help him."

Ashlyn's heart ached. "I don't think I can get through this without you by my side, Alex, I just can't...." Her voice wavered despite her best efforts to keep it even. "Please don't make me."

"Oh Ash..." Ali wrapped her arms around Ashlyn and guided her head to her chest as Ashlyn finally allowed herself to cry. She fisted Ali's t-shirt as Ali slightly rocked her back and forth, speaking to her gently. "We will get through this, baby. Together. I'm not leaving you. Ever. I promise."

Ashlyn didn't say anything but for once, she believed her.

\-----

Milo opened his eyes and looked around. He sat up in bed, confused. This wasn't the same room as before. The walls were dark and scary. Everything looked abandoned. It reminded him of a construction place.

He pushed the covers back and saw he was in still in the same clothes. Mommy didn't like him to sleep in his clothes. He was supposed to change into his pajamas.

"Mommy?" He called out softly.

He thought about getting up from the bed and going to the door but he was scared. Where was he? He remembered Ms. Stewart telling him that they were on a secret mission and that momma would be coming to join them soon.

"Momma?" He called out, louder this time. He heard nothing.

Milo threw his legs over the bed and slid down. The floor was cold. He walked over to the door and as soon as he reached it, it swung open.

"Morning, sweetie, are you hungry?" Ms. Stewart smiled at him, a tray in her hands.

Milo backed away from her with wide eyes. "Where's my mommy and my momma?" He asked with his eyes tearing up.

"I hope you like Frosted Flakes. I also cut some bananas and put them in it for you." Sierra said, ignoring him and walking further into the room.

Milo stood there and wiped at his eyes. "I wanna go home!" He said loudly.

Sierra turned around and saw him standing there on the verge of tears. Her heart ached for him. "Come here." She said gently, kneeling down and opening her arms to him. "It's okay."

"NO!" He shouted, backing away. "You said momma was coming, where is she?" 

"She was here, sweetie, but you were asleep so she had to go back to work."

Milo looked at her in confusion. Why would momma leave him? Was he bad? Did he do something wrong? "Can we call my mommy so she can come get me?" 

Sierra stiffened. "Milo, I told you your mommy is dead." She said flatly, causing Milo to burst into tears all over again.

"You're lying!" He yelled, his body shaking with his sobs. He knew his mommy told him never to say the word "Lie" if he wasn't sure but that's what Ms. Stewart was doing. He knew something was wrong when they kept driving and his momma never came. He knew something was wrong when those scary men showed up. They did something to his mommy and momma. 

He took off out the door, running out of the room and towards the stairs. His outburst and him fleeing the room shocked Sierra. She ran after him but he was already at the bottom of the stairs heading for the door.

"Milo!" She yelled, trying to keep up. He looked back at her and only paused for a second before he opened the door and ran outside.

Sierra panicked. She sprinted outside and marveled at how fast Milo ran. He was heading towards the woods with no shoes on and Sierra feared he would hurt himself. She ran after him but lost sight of him once he went into the trees.

Milo's feet did hurt. "Ouch." He whined through his tears. "I don't have my shoes."

He could see Ms. Stewart coming closer and he thought about how he and his momma played hide and seek sometimes. He got behind the biggest tree and stooped down. He hoped that she wouldn't find him this way. He knew what to do. His mommy and momma told him what to do when a stranger was after him. He was a big boy. He would go home on his own.

Sierra listened carefully for Milo. There were so many trees that she was sure he was hiding behind one.

She walked into the forested area, becoming more alarmed. The temperature was cool this morning in the mountains and she didn't want him to get sick, especially with them leaving the country soon.

"Milo, listen to me. I want to take you to your momma. She can explain everything about your mommy. She asked me to look after you." She said sweetly.

Milo was scared. He was cold and his feet itched standing on the damp ground. What if she was right and momma would be mad at him for running away? He was confused. His mommy couldn't be dead. His momma would have told him. Why was Ms. Stewart saying such mean things to him? He thought she was his friend. 

He could hear her closer now and he wanted to run.

Sierra saw a piece of Milo's shorts sticking out from around the tree. She knew he was bent over hiding and smiled to herself. He was such a tough little boy. Just like Ashlyn. She made a quick turn and snatched him up by the waist. The suddenness of it surprised him and it was easy to get a good hold of him, but soon he was screaming and kicking. She had to fight to keep hold of him as she dragged him out of the woods while he kept crying and yelling, swinging his arms.

"Milo! Stop it! Stop it or I will spank you!"

The treat of a spanking stopped part of the tantrum but the screams and cries got louder. She hurried into the building, afraid that someone would be able to hear them. She didn't like how close the buildings were. Stan had assured her that most were empty but the news this morning had her and Milo's face all over it. She had to be careful.

She threw Milo on the blankets on the ground and went back to lock the door. Milo put both his hands to his face and cried. "I want my mommy!" He kept repeating.

Sierra knelt down next to him and rubbed his back. "Sweetie, I'm your new mommy and I promise I won't leave you like she did. Please calm down."

Milo kept crying. He just wanted to go home. He wanted to be away from here.

Sierra saw that nothing she said appeased him. She looked around the cold building. She needed to get into contact with Stan as soon as possible and demand him to come back right away. The sooner they were out of the country the better.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

The limo slowed down to a traffic jam. Stan sighed impatiently and pressed the button to lower the divider between him and the driver. "What is it?" 

"I think it’s some kind of road block further up." The driver said worriedly.

"Shit.” Stan cursed under his breath and glanced at Milo and Sierra who were watching him in fear. "Can we turn around?" 

"Not without drawing attention to ourselves." 

Stan looked out the window and saw a dirt road on their left. It looked as if it lead to nowhere but they needed cover. "Take that road to your left.” He ordered. “Be careful not to draw any attention to yourself.”

The driver slowly pulled over to the road and didn't feel like they were being noticed. Sierra hugged Milo to her chest, rubbing his back to keep him calm. The road they were on was very rocky and they bounced all around the back of the limo. After a while, Stan told the driver to stop when the woods got too dense to continue. 

He glared at Sierra. "This isn't good for you at all. I'm not very nice when I’m cornered." 

Sierra squeezed Milo to reassure him. She would protect him with her life. 

\-------

When Ali came downstairs that morning, a sad feeling squeezed her heart at how empty the house felt without Milo’s presence. She walked into the kitchen to prepare herself some coffee. Everything felt wrong. She was a mess. She hadn’t slept at all and her head was killing her. As she stood there by the counter, she felt like crying but it was like she had run out of tears.

She startled slightly at the sound of knocking. When she opened the door, she found Max standing there with a concerned expression on his face. Ali had called him that morning to ask him if he could stay with her because she didn’t want to be alone. She felt so powerless and helpless, it was killing her. 

"Hey." Max mumbled a greeting as he gave her a quick hug. "How are you holding up?"

"Not good." Ali replied truthfully as they parted. "Thanks for coming."

"Of course." Max smiled sadly. “Where’s everyone?"

"At the police station.” Ali stepped aside so he could enter. “There are two officers in the living room too. They’ve been here all night.”

"That’s good."

Ali shrugged. "I just want them to find Milo."

"God, I can't believe that bastard did this." Max said in a low voice, anger glistening in his eyes as he followed Ali towards the living room. “And Sierra too for that matter. They’re both fucking crazy.”

Ali’s heart jumped when her phone suddenly rang. It was an unknown number and she looked at the officers with wide eyes. One of them nodded calmly, signaling for her to pick up as they prepared themselves to try and trace the call. Ali took a deep breath.

“Hello?”

“Mommy?”

Ali felt tears spring to her eyes. “Milo?”

"Mommy I want to come home." Milo cried into the phone.

"Baby, where are you?” Ali asked desperately, clutching her phone tightly in her hands. “Mommy will come to you if you tell me where you are!" She said, trying to remain calm to keep Milo calm as well. 

There was some rustling before Stan’s cold voice sounded. "Hello."

“Stan?”

"That's right. I see you and your wife discovered our little hideaway." 

"Is my son okay?" She asked, resisting the urge to scream at him. 

"For now." 

"What do you want?” Ali demanded. “Tell me! Anything and I will give it you!" 

"Let’s see." Stan chuckled, clearly amused. "I don't need money. I don't need a lawyer. Wait, I have an idea. Can you give me back my happiness? Can you give me back what you threw away?"

Ali was close to losing it. “Please, he's a baby. He has nothing to do with anything. I can take his place." 

Stan said nothing for a while but then he hummed. "How about Sierra, Ali, do you want to save her too?" 

"What is wrong with you?” Ali hissed angrily, her body trembling. “What are you hoping to gain with these games?" 

"So I will take that as a no.” Stan snapped impatiently. 

Ali quickly spoke up before he could end the call. "Wait, I don't want either of them harmed. I just want my son back." 

"You know, if Ashlyn had to choose between you and the woman she used to love in a life and death situation, what choice would she make? If she had to choose between Sierra and Milo who do you think she would choose?" 

Ali allowed herself to slump down in a chair. Why was he taunting her like this? "Stan, I know this isn't you." She said, trying to gain control over the situation. "I know that you are in there somewhere. Fight against this person that has control over you now. This isn't you." 

Stan laughed loudly. "Are you trying to play shrink with me? The old me disappeared when you broke my heart and walked all over it." 

“Milo has nothing to do with that.” 

“I don’t care!” Stan yelled at her, making her flinch. “You destroyed us with your selfishness! I tried everything to win you back but you kept choosing that woman who never deserved you! Do you know how small that made me feel?”

Ali’s nostrils flared with anger. “So you kidnapped my son because of your bruised ego?”

“I did it to make you feel the kind of pain that I felt.”

Ali could hear Milo crying in the background and began to shake even more. She didn't care that Stan clearly needed mental help. She would kill him if he did anything to her child. She stood up and began to pace up and down, looking at the officers. They both gave her helpless looks and she knew the trace wasn’t leading to anything. She needed to keep Stan on the phone until he told them where they were. "Stan please…”

"Stop begging, it’s pathetic.”

Ali took a calming breath. "Stan, where are you? You must be close. We need to resolve this one way or another. Just me and you." 

Stan got quiet. "Everything is going wrong. I have no use for you to be here and try to save the day. But your wife, on the other hand, I’d rather tangle with her; show you just how much you don't mean to her; reunite her with her one true love and dispose of the brat that's keeping them apart." 

"You son of a bitch! You better not touch my baby! Don't you lay one hand on my child!" 

Stan ended the call.

\------

"What do you think? We get rid of the kid and have Ashlyn rescue you. We both get what we want."

Milo cried louder and clung to Sierra. "Stan, please stop.” She said calmly, trying to think of a way out of this. “You're scaring him." 

Stan scowled at her. "He's the one thing that can show Ali what pain and loss is. He's the one thing that can make this all even." 

Sierra saw his cold stare and knew that Milo's time was short if she didn't do something. "I have an idea.” She said quickly. "What you said earlier. Let Ashlyn choose; bring her to us. Force her to choose between Milo and me. She could never let me die a second time in front of him. That would destroy Ali for sure." 

Stan stared at her, then smiled. "You have a point. Ashlyn is such a hero she would try to save you both but will ultimately let her police work do the talking. She'll save the one in most need first." He clapped his hands. "I guess you're not as stupid as I thought." 

"I guess not." Sierra said, breaking their stare and stroking Milo’s hair who was now just whimpering in her arms. 

\-------

Ashlyn stepped out of the helicopter and ran to the roadblock. The cars went back for miles on this country road and she didn't understand how the traffic built so quickly. "What is all this traffic from?" She asked. 

"There was big Boy Scout Retreat up here this weekend. Today was the last day and all the campers are coming out of the mountains." The police officer said while handing the driver in the car his license and registration back. 

Ashlyn felt her phone buzz and looked at it. It was Ali. She hesitated and then decided to answer it. "Yes?”

“I spoke to Stan!”

"What?" Ashlyn stepped away from the officer. 

"He called me, Ash.” Ali choked out through her tears. “He put Milo on the phone. He's taunting and torturing him. He basically said he was going to kill him! He said you would have to choose between him and Sierra. He said that…" 

"Hey, calm down." Ashlyn said gently, trying to get her to slow down. She was talking too fast and her sobs broke up most of what she was trying to say. 

"I can't… I can't… that man is out of his mind. He doesn't even seem like himself anymore. I can't…we have to find them, Ash!" She screamed into the phone. 

"Baby, give the phone to Max.”

“Hey.” Max’s voice sounded three seconds later.

"How long ago did Stan call?" 

"Maybe 5 minutes ago." 

"Did he give any indication on where they are?"

"No.” Max said sadly. “From what Ali said, he just taunted her with threats of killing Milo and Sierra. I get the impression that he will be contacting you soon." 

Ashlyn anxiously ran her hand through her hair. "Don't take Ali anywhere near this. I will handle it. Do you hear me?" 

“Ashlyn…”

“Max please.” Ashlyn practically begged him. "She is hysterical. If she comes near them, it will get ugly. If you care about her, then help her.”

Max looked over at Ali who was wringing her hands together, staring at him pleadingly. She was close to the edge and she still had that gun. He didn't see hysteria, though. He saw rage. Ali was ready to end it all. Ashlyn didn't know how strong her wife was. He handed Ali back the phone without a word. 

"Ash..." She said shakily. 

"Alex, please listen to me. Don't try to find them. Let the police handle it. Let me get to them. Milo's life is in jeopardy." 

Ali sniffled and shook her head. "I can't, Ash, I have to find them. I'm scared to death of what she will do. I don't know if trust you more than I trust myself." The last part of her statement was like a punch to Ashlyn’s chest. It literally took the wind out of her. She held tightly onto the phone and tried to find her voice but Ali beat her to it. The truth was that Ali would rather go to jail herself than see Ashlyn disappear behind bars. "I will call you if they call me back." 

Ashlyn looked at her phone in shock. 

The officer ran up to her. "Ma’am, this could take hours. Maybe we should call in more units to help with the search of these cars." 

Ashlyn looked at him and nodded. She headed back to the helicopter. Her world was coming undone.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading

Chapter 22

Stan got out of the limo and looked at where they were. He didn't see anything at first and was getting desperate when he noticed a man made trail. He walked over to it and looked down it. The path led somewhere so this could be the break he was looking for. He walked over to the car and tapped on the window. The driver lowered it.

"There's a trail back there." Stan said, pointing behind him. "I need you to check it out and see if it's a good spot for me to execute my plans." 

“Yes sir.” The driver got out of the car, carrying two guns. He reached into the armrest and gave Stan a gun too. "I won't be long." 

Stan got back into the car, placing the gun in his lap. The brat had cried himself to sleep and Sierra sat there, rocking him. He glanced at them with mild disgust. "I know you think Ashlyn will rescue you both but I will make sure it doesn't happen that way." 

Sierra clenched her jaw angrily. "The way you tortured Ali with her child was disgusting." She hissed. Stan smiled and said nothing. "No mother should be put through that. I was wrong to ever trust you. I was wrong to bring Milo to you. I will fix all this when Ash gets here." 

"Yes Sierra, go ahead and fix it." Stan chuckled, amused. 

\------

Max's car slowed down to the traffic jam, and Ali looked at him. "Do you think they're stuck in this?" 

Max considered it for a moment but then shook his head. "If anything, they would veer off and try to find a way to go around it." 

Ali looked out of the window. She didn't see any side roads. The cars crept along very slowly so she opened the door and got out, walking to the vehicle in front of them. 

"Excuse me." She said, tapping on the window. A sweet little boy sat in the passenger seat next to his dad and smiled up at Ali. Her heart ached when she looked down into his innocent face. His father lowered the window and leaned over to peer at her. 

“Can I help you?”

"Excuse me but do you know of any side roads we can take ahead of us?" She asked, trying to seem normal. 

"There's a route 66 dirt road about a mile up that leads to hiking trail. It really isn't a short cut though." 

"Where does the hiking trail lead?"

"To a couple of cabins." The man said. 

Ali flashed him a smile and thanked him before hurrying back to Max’s car.

"I think I know where they went." She said excitedly once she got it. 

Max looked at her. Maybe Ashlyn was right. They could make this situation worse by just surprising them. "Ali, maybe you need to call Ash back and give her the directions." 

"Let's check it out first. If it's not a lead, then we won't waste her time. If we find them, I promise I’ll call." Ali said stubbornly, clutching her purse in her lap. Max nodded and eased the car along with the traffic. 

\-----

Stan’s driver knocked on his boss's window. "Sir, it's a hiking trail, I saw signs that indicate it must stop at some cabins ahead." 

Stan looked at Sierra and the boy sleeping in her arms. He noticed that Milo didn't have on any shoes on and sighed in annoyance. "You will have to carry him." He got out of the car and waited for Sierra to follow but she stayed put. “What?”

"We don't know if those cabins are occupied.” Sierra tried to buy them some time. “Or if the police are already there. I think it's dangerous to just walk up there unprepared." 

Stan smiled at her. "My driver will take care of us. He's very resourceful.” His face darkened when she still didn’t move. “Now get out of the car or I will have him drag you out." 

Sierra scooted towards the door, holding Milo tightly. She maneuvered out of the car, still clinging to him. She prayed for him not to wake up when Stan’s driver roughly snatched him from her, and luckily he only stirred and remained asleep. She looked up toward the sky. The wooded area was dense but the trees didn't really provide a great cover for the car. It could be spotted. 

She thought of Ashlyn. She knew she would be searching frantically for them. Since she found the cabin, the cops must be nearby. She just had to keep Stan calm. She looked back at the man who was now glaring at her. 

"Don't worry, I want Ashlyn to find the car and us. My plan wouldn't work if she didn't." 

Sierra looked at Milo in that monster’s arm. He looked so fragile. This whole ordeal had obviously traumatized him greatly. Her heart ached for her part in this. 

"Let's go!" Stan snapped, walking toward the path. 

They all followed him. After about a mile on the trail, it opened up, exposing them completely as it wound around the rocky incline. Sierra kept searching the sky, hoping to see Ashlyn or a plane searching for them but she saw nothing. 

40 minutes into the hike, she heard Milo crying and realized he must be awake. She turned and looked at him kicking in the driver's arms. The driver, tired of struggling, forcefully threw him over his shoulder. 

"Please give him to me.” Sierra pleaded. “I can carry him." 

The driver ignored her and kept walking. Sierra stepped back so that the driver could pass and she could see Milo's face. He was crying and his eyes were closed. She walked behind them and wiped at the sweat and tears on his cheeks. 

"Sweetie, it’s okay." She said, trying to calm him. “We’re going to momma now.” 

Milo shook his head and kept his eyes closed. Sierra knew he didn't trust her either. Especially since he spoke to Ali. She looked around to see if she could find a stick or a rock. Something to hit the driver with and maybe escape with Milo. But the path was littered with stones too large for her to successfully lift. She looked back up and saw Milo looking at her in shock. 

"What is it?" She asked sweetly. 

"I want to go home. I want my mommy and momma." He said hoarsely, not to her really but just out loud. 

She rubbed his face, reaching up to him. "I know, baby, soon. Can you be a big boy and just hang in there with me? Just for a little while longer?" 

Milo’s eyes regained focus and he looked at Sierra. She almost thought he smiled. "I am a big boy." He said weakly. 

She nodded. "Yes you are. You're just like your momma. Really tough and smart. You're going to have to be tough for her and your mommy so you can go home. Do you understand?" 

Milo nodded. "Yes." 

"Good." She said, smiling and walking fast to keep up with them. 

She looked back into the sky, wondering where Ashlyn could be. 

\----

Ashlyn took the helicopter up and down highway 78, looking at the cars and trying to get a handle on which direction they went. She reached into the compartment and pulled out a map. She saw the only road that veered off this road and that was Route 66 but it dead ended. Maybe they were hiding instead of trying to get away. 

She looked at the pilot and pointed to the map. "Can you take us down near this road?”

The pilot nodded and turned the helicopter around. 

\-----

Ali got out of the car when they came upon Stan's limo. The door to the limo was open and Ali walked to it and looked inside. "They were here!" 

Max grabbed her arm to stop her from going anywhere. "Time to call Ashlyn." He said gently.

She put the gun in the back of her pants and looked for the trail the man spoke of. She saw it to the far left and ran for it. Max ran after her. She stopped and looked at the fresh footprints in the dirt path. "I know it’s them." 

Max shook his head. "Ali, we have to alert Ashlyn. We need the cops." 

Ali glared at him. "Stan said she would force her to choose." 

Max looked at her, stunned. "Do you really think she would sacrifice Milo?" Ali continued to glare at him and then turned and headed for the path. He followed her. "Ali, are you serious? Do you really think that Ashlyn would harm your son?" 

Ali quickened her pace. "Of course not. I think she would assess the situation like a cop and try to find a way to save them both. I won't have that problem." 

Max grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop. "Listen to me. Milo is in real danger. If we go up there and it backfires, you will never forgive yourself. Call her now! Or I will." 

Ali snatched her arm from him. "Then you call her. I am going after my son!" She shouted and took off on the path. 

He watched her run deeper into the forest. He couldn't let her do this alone but he had a bad feeling. Finally, when it was hard to see her, he sighed and hurriedly went after her. 

\------

Ashlyn got out of the helicopter and walked up onto the dirt road. She saw several tire tracks that looked fresh. The pilot walked up to her. "We can fly over but that terrain is really steep. If they spot us it could be bad. If we spot them, we won't be able to land." 

Ashlyn put her hands on her hips and thought about it. She went back to the helicopter and got the cb radio to call all units to the Route 66. She would have to go on foot. She turned back to the pilot. "How far until the trail?"

"About a mile." 

Ashlyn looked at the cars lined up and walked over to the first car, knocking on the door. She flashed her badge. "Police. I need you out of the car." 

The couple stepped out of the Jeep, confused. Ashlyn looked at the pilot. “Take them back to the roadblock.” 

She jumped into the Jeep and turned onto the dirt road. 

\-----

Sierra looked up to see two cabins ahead of them. Both looked deserted. She hoped they were. She didn't want anyone harmed in front of Milo. He had been traumatized enough. 

Stan stopped. "Check it out." He barked at his driver. 

The man gave Milo to Sierra and ran ahead. Stan walked back to Sierra who had lowered Milo to the ground on his bare feet and held his hand. "As soon as we get secured you are going to call Ashlyn." 

Milo looked up at Sierra. "Please call my momma." 

Sierra looked at Stan and saw the madness in his eyes. "Okay." She said weakly.

\----

Ali stopped and bent over. She'd only been running for 15 minutes straight but the rugged trail had her breathless. Soon, Max caught up with her. 

"Ali..." He said, wheezing. She didn't respond. She just worked on steadying her breathing so she could get there. "We have to come up with a plan. We can't just charge in." 

Ali looked back at the trail. They passed a sign 10 minutes into her sprint indicating the cabins were 1 1/2 miles ahead. 

"Okay." She said as she started to walk again. "What's the plan?" 

Max frowned and followed. "I was hoping you had one."

She smiled bitterly. "The only plan I have is to get my son and kill anyone trying to stop me."

Max watched her walk up the path and shook his head. "Ashlyn was right. I should have taken you back home." 

She stopped and looked at him. "Is that what she told you? To take me back like I’m a child or something?" 

“She’s only trying to protect you.”

Ali didn’t have time to think about it. She backed away and sprinted up the trail again. 

\-----

Ashlyn pulled up behind Max’s car in shock. "What the hell?" She muttered, getting out and looking at the car and then the limo. "Dammit Max, I told you to take her home!" 

She checked the limo and saw nothing. Her heart was pounding violently. Ali was ahead of her and she didn't know what she would do if pushed to her breaking point. She pulled out her phone and called the unit, giving a description of where everyone was headed. She was in full panic as she raced to the trail. 

"Alex, please, please don't do something stupid.” She whispered to herself. 

\----

Stan’s driver signaled from the second cottage. Stan nodded, pleased, and started to walk up to him. Sierra lifted Milo who was heavier than she thought and carried him. Once they got to a more solid ground, she lowered him back down and took his hand, telling him to be careful where he stepped. 

"I think we should take the second cabin.” Stan’s driver told him. “It sits further back and gives us a clear view of anyone stepping off the path." 

Stan nodded. "Let’s go!" He yelled at Sierra who was taking her time leading Milo. 

"Remember you are a big boy.” Sierra smiled down at the boy. 

He looked up at her, holding her hand tightly. “Okay.”

\------

Ashlyn kept running up the path. She hoped she wasn't too late but her gut told her that every second counted. She felt her phone vibrating on her hip and pulled it loose before pressing it to her ear. “Yes?” 

"Ash..." Sierra said shakily.

Ashlyn stopped, breathing heavily as she tried to find her voice. "Sierra? Where are you?"

"I'm in a cabin off of Route 66. There's a hiking trail that would lead you to me." 

"Where is my son?" Ashlyn demanded. 

"Hold on." 

If possible, Ashlyn’s heartbeat picked up even more as she waited for Milo’s tiny voice to sound. "Momma?" 

Ashlyn had to swallow down the lump in her throat. "Hey buddy, are you okay?" 

Milo started to cry. “I want to go home. Please come get me.” 

"It’s okay, honey.” Ashlyn soothed him, trying to sound normal as she continued to walk up the trail at a fast pace. “I'm on my way. You just sit tight and I'll be there soon." 

"Ashlyn." Sierra said, coming back on the line. 

"Why would you take him?” Ashlyn seethed. “What's wrong with you?" 

"Ashlyn, listen to me.” Sierra said desperately. “You have to come here alone. If you don't, they'll kill us both." 

Ashlyn stopped dead in her tracks. "What?" 

"I'm so sorry about this, Ash, but he's crazy and he wants just you here. Please call off any cops you are sending up here. Come alone." 

Ashlyn ran her hand through her hair nervously. She knew Ali was ahead of her. She wouldn't reach her in time. She had to think of something. "Sierra, who's with you two? Is it just Stan? How many?" She rambled, her heart now beating frantically. “Tell me!”

"Just come alone.” 

“Sierra!” Ashlyn yelled into the phone. “Talk to me!”

There was no answer.

"Fuck!" Ashlyn screamed, losing the signal.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23 

Ali felt her phone vibrating and slowed down some to see who it was. It was Ashlyn. She hesitated but decided to ignore it as she kept racing up the path. Her phone kept vibrating, though, until finally she stopped and answered it.

"What is it?"

"Alex..." Ashlyn panted, completely out of breath.

"Yes?" Ali asked urgently, taking note of Ashlyn's wheezing into the phone.

"Stop!" Ashlyn managed to choke out in between deep breaths as she continued to sprint up the trail. "Listen to me you have to stop!" 

"Ash, I'm going to him. You can't stop me!" Ali insisted, about to hang up.

"Wait!" Ashlyn screamed into the phone, and the sheer panic in her voice finally caused Ali to stop walking. "They'll kill him!"

Ali's throat went dry and she hastily looked around her. "Where are you?"

"I'm behind you." Ashlyn replied, still trying to control her breathing. Sweat was pouring down her back and it felt like she was about to pass out, but she knew she had to keep going. "I spoke to Sierra. It's a trap. If anyone gets there before me, they'll kill them both." 

"Oh god." Ali muttered as her stomach churned.

"I know you're scared but wait until I reach you." Ashlyn pleaded with her, praying she would listen this time. "I will explain everything."

Ali exhaled shakily. "Okay."

Max frowned at her as she put her phone away. "Is Ash on her way?" 

"Yes, apparently you were right. They have some kind of trap ahead of us. She said she will explain it when she reaches us." Ali sighed and walked off the path to lean against a tree, her whole body slumping as the reality of the situation set in. "I could have made it worse. My god, Max, I could have made the psycho harm my son before I reached him."

Max walked over to her and pulled her into his arms. "It's okay, Ali. We will just wait for Ash and she will tell us what to do." 

\-----

About 20 minutes later, Ashlyn turned up the path and saw Ali and Max standing by a tree. Ali's face scrunched up in a mixture of fear and concern when she spotted her, and she quickly closed the distance between them. "Ash, I had no idea."

Ashlyn was exhausted. She placed her hands on her knees and bent over, trying to regain control. She felt Ali's hand on her back but she shrugged off her touch and gave her a cold glare. "Here's the deal." She began sternly, standing up straight. "Sierra wants me to come up to the cabin alone. I believe Stan is going through with what he told you. He wants to force me into making some kind of sick choice."

Ali folded her arms over her chest and stared at her. "So what's your plan?"

Ashlyn shook her head in disbelief. She swore at that moment she didn't know Ali at all. "I think it's a good thing that they don't know you two are with me. The only way to get close enough to change this is if I appear to be going along with it. We need to get closer to the cabin to find a way for you and Max to slip by." 

Ali looked at her in shock. She was actually including her in the rescue. She was actually acting like they were a team. Ali softened and offered her wife a small smile. "Okay."

She reached out for Ashlyn but Ashlyn stepped aside and kept talking. "I think it would be best that you two follow my lead going forward. I don't know what we are walking into but I don't want Milo traumatized any further." 

Ali tried to reach out for her again but Ashlyn gave her a cold look that abruptly made her drop her hand. She understood Ashlyn's anger at her now. It wasn't just that Ali hadn't listened to her, it was that she thought she would have put their son in a position to be traumatized.

She blinked back her tears. "Ash, I wasn't planning…"

"Oh really?" Ashlyn interrupted her angrily. "You ran up a path to face off with a madman who's holding your child with a gun in your hand but you weren't planning any violence? Right."

Her words stung and Ali glanced away. "I just wanted to find him. I thought you wouldn't..."

"You thought I wouldn't do what was necessary to save our child. You thought that I would walk into that cabin and hesitate on whose life would be more important. I know exactly what you think of me!" 

Max stepped forwards, seeing how Ashlyn's words were crushing Ali. "Stop attacking her."

Ashlyn almost lunged at him. "Or what? You're the one who took her here! How the hell did that seem like a good idea to you?"

Ali walked away from them. She was sick with worry and now pain at what this situation had done to her and Ashlyn. She knew it was wrong of her to only blame Ashlyn for allowing Sierra into their lives when she was just as much at fault. She had no idea how they were going to overcome all this. Maybe it was too late.

"Both of you stop it!" She yelled at Ashlyn and Max who were still arguing, forcing them to turn and look at her. "We're wasting time. Let's go get Milo." 

She continued up the path without waiting for a reply. Ashlyn rubbed her jaw and followed her with her eyes. She was angry with her and extremely hurt by her actions since Milo's kidnapping, but she loved her and no matter what happened, she was sure that wouldn't change. After all this was done, they would have to find their way back to each other. They always did.

\----

Stan's driver checked the cabin and couldn't locate any binoculars. They would have to use their vision to determine where and when Ashlyn approached.

Sierra sat on the sofa, gently rocking Milo. 

"Ms. Stewart..." He said softly.

"Yes sweetie?" 

"I'm hungry."

Sierra smiled in sympathy as he blinked up at her. "We will be out of here soon and we'll get you the biggest cheeseburger you ever saw."

Stan got up from the chair he was sitting in and approached his driver. "Take the boy and go to the spot we talked about. You should have a good visual of what goes on here when Ashlyn arrives. If things don't go as expected, kill him."

Sierra looked up in shock. "What do you mean take him?" She asked, holding Milo tighter to her. "You can't, Stan, this is not what we planned." 

Stan turned and frowned at her. "Are you serious. Do you think I was using your plan?" He laughed, making her cringe. "I thought I was supposed to be the crazy one."

Stan's driver walked over to the sofa and Sierra tried to shield Milo with her body but the man easily pulled them apart and snatched him up. He kicked and swung his arms, but the driver didn't flinch. He walked out the door with him, and Sierra jumped up and after them but Stan grabbed her hair, forcefully stopping her. 

Sierra turned around to swing at him but missed. Stan clenched his jaw and released her, slapping her hard across the face. She stumbled backwards, holding her cheek.

"Sit down!" He snapped.

Sierra went back to the sofa and did as she'd been told. She could hear Milo's cries from outside and felt like crying as well.

\-----

Ali, Ashlyn and Max arrived at the break in the path to the cabins in time to see a tall, menacing man manhandling their son, carrying him into the woods. Ali gasped and Ashlyn quickly put her hand to her mouth, shaking her head for her to be quiet. Ali looked at Milo screaming and crying and fought the urge to pull out her gun and fire at that monster. 

The man went to a forested area right in front of the cabin. He couldn't see them from his vantage point which was good. Ashlyn pushed them back down the trail, and Ali could see her mind at work. She couldn't hide her terror. She knew Ashlyn was trying to asses the best way to get to Milo.

"Ash..." She said with a shaky voice. Ashlyn's eyes met hers and she tried to put on a brave face. "You're going to have to let me do it."

Ashlyn shook her head. "It's too dangerous."

"Max can help me get up this incline. I can circle around and sneak up on them while you are in the cabin."

Ashlyn sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. "Alex, what if your attempt to get him to release Milo causes him to attack you or worse attack Milo. Can you kill this man in front of our son?"

Ali's bottom lip quivered. "I don't want to do that, believe me, but right now we don't have any other options. If you enter that cabin, you have no control over what happens to Milo in those woods. If you don't enter the cabin, Sierra dies." 

"I will go after Milo." Ashlyn said blankly.

"What about Sierra?" 

"I will go after Milo first. If and when I secure him, I will deal with Sierra. We have an advantage because they don't know that I'm already here. They aren't expecting me yet."

"Ash, we can do this together." Ali reached for her again and this time Ashlyn allowed her to touch her face.

Ashlyn took Ali's hand and kissed the inside of her palm. "I won't have you harmed and I'm Milo's only hope to come out of this okay. I had to make a choice and I made it. Will you trust me to bring back our son?"

Ali wrapped her arms around Ashlyn's shoulders and pulled her into a tight hug. Ashlyn hugged her back, closing her eyes when Ali pressed a kiss to the side of her head. "I trust you."

Ashlyn pulled back and gazed into Ali's eyes for a moment before stepping away from her. Ali and Max watched as she scaled the incline and crept into the woods.  
Ali wrapped her arms around herself and said a silent prayer. "Please let them come back to me okay."

\-----

Ashlyn walked into the forest beyond the mound. She climbed higher, trying to gain perspective on the quickest route. She heard trees and leaves snapping under her feet and slowed down. This was going to be hard. The forest was thick and she couldn't really tell if she was headed in the right direction. 

She kept walking toward the area she thought the man holding her son would be. Soon. she came to a clearing and had to decide whether to go left or right. Before she could make her choice, she heard whimpering to her left. It was faint, but she heard it. She looked in the direction of where the sound came from and couldn't see much. 

She slowly approached the area and the whimpering seemed a little louder. Her heart beat faster. The whimpering was Milo and she was so angry at the thought of her son being in the hands of this man that both her fists were clenched without her realizing it. Then, finally, she saw them. 

The asshole had his hands around Milo's waist and mouth, silencing him. He was crouched and facing the opposite direction. Ashlyn stopped. How could she get Milo without killing this man in front of him? 

Ali leaned against the rocky slope that Ashlyn had scaled 10 minutes earlier.

“Ali, I’m sorry.” Max said randomly. 

She looked up, confused. "What are you talking about?" 

"Earlier when I got into it with Ashlyn... I don't want to make things worse for you two.” 

“Don’t worry about it.” Ali was only half listening, wondering if Ashlyn had reached Milo yet.

Ashlyn knew that the only way to save her son was by drawing out the man into the open. She had to separate them somehow. She slowly crept to the right where the trees were thicker and saw a large rock. She picked it up, drawing back as far as she could before throwing it to the opposite side of the forest. The noise was loud enough to make the man jump. He released Milo and pulled out his gun. 

Ashlyn kept her eye on Milo to see what he was doing. Milo pulled his knees up to his chest and buried his face in his knees. Ashlyn could see the man threatening her son and it made her temper boil. Then the man crept away in the opposite direction. Ashlyn saw she had a clear shot as the man looked into the forest in front of him, trying to see where the noise came from. 

Ashlyn looked over at Milo and saw that her son still had his head down and wouldn't witness what she had to do. She pulled out her gun, stood up, aimed, and fired. The man’s eyes widened when a bullet zoomed past his head. He turned towards Ashlyn and fired twice. Ashlyn ducked, sweat trickling down her temples, and didn’t hesitate to fire again. This time, the bullet struck the man in his stomach and he crumpled to the ground. 

Ali jumped when she heard the gunshots. “What the hell is happening?" 

Sierra and Stan jumped too. Stan was already sitting at the window, waiting for Ashlyn to appear, and realized that the gunfire came from the direction of where his driver had the kid. He turned and looked at Sierra. "I guess he decided to get rid of the brat early." 

“Oh god no!” Sierra cried out.

Stan frowned at her. "Shut up. You can still get what you want out of this.” 

Sierra glared at him. That precious boy was dead because of her. She waited for Stan to turn back towards the window and slowly rose from the sofa, picking up the lamp. Stan kept talking about how much fun it would be to watch Ashlyn tell Ali their son was dead. 

Sierra took a deep breath and charged at Stan with the lamp, bringing it down so it came crashing down onto his head. As Stan took the blow, he raised his gun and fired it into Sierra’s chest. Sierra fell backwards and Stan fell over to the side of her. 

Ali jumped again when she heard another gunshot coming from the cabin. Maybe Stan killed Sierra because of Ashlyn. Maybe they knew and Ashlyn was too late. Before she could take off in the direction of the cabin, she heard Max call her name. He was looking up at Ashlyn coming down the slope, holding Milo. 

Ali gasped and ran over to them. She pulled Milo into her arms, tears running down her cheeks, and clung onto him like never before. Milo was shaking and crying but he hugged her back just as tightly. "Mommy." 

Ali held onto him, dropping to her knees. "I love you so much." She said, stroking his hair. 

Suddenly, another loud sound rang out and Ali looked up at Ashlyn who was looking in the direction of the cabin. "Was that another shot?" 

"Stay with them!" Ashlyn told Max before she took off.

Ali lifted Milo’s face and looked at him. "Are you okay, honey?" 

Milo smiled slightly. "I’m hungry." 

Ali laughed through her tears, rubbing his head affectionately. "Me too." 

Ashlyn raced into the cabin to see Sierra on the ground, gasping for air. Stan lay next to her, unconscious. Ashlyn ran to Sierra and sat down next to her, pulling her into her lap. Sierra looked up at her and smiled weakly. "I tried to save him… please… please… believe me, Ashlyn." 

Ashlyn looked down at her and saw from her wound that it must have pierced her lung. She swallowed back her emotions and spoke gently. "Don't say anything." 

Sierra found it hard to believe and found it ironic that the death she faked for Ashlyn years ago was now coming for her in the same way. She felt the tears running down her face. "I'm sorry, Ashlyn, I never wanted to hurt… to hurt… Milo… I… I… wanted..." 

She began spitting up blood, and Ashlyn squeezed her eyes shut. She was reliving it all over again. "Please don't die." She whispered desperately. “Please.”

Sierra smiled at her. "It's not… your fault… I did this." 

"Sierra, please!" Ashlyn was crying now. She still had her eyes closed, too afraid to watch Sierra die again. When she heard her go silent, she knew enough, though, and she forced herself to look. She choked out a sob when she saw her staring back at her blankly. She was dead. 

Ashlyn stared at Sierra for what felt like an eternity. It felt like she was disconnected from the whole scene. As if she had watched it play out in front of her outside of her own body. Her hands were shaking uncontrollably and covered in blood. She wanted to get out of there but she couldn’t bring herself to move. 

Ali saw the cops coming up the trail where she sat rocking her son. He had stopped shaking and was now just holding onto her. She was so grateful that he was in her arms and she was oblivious to everyone surrounding her until she heard Max tell the officers that Ashlyn was up in the cabin.

“I have to go check on her.” She said frantically, pulling back from Milo and pressing a kiss to his forehead. “I promise I will be right back, honey. Stay with uncle Max.”

“Mommy, don’t leave.” Milo protested.

“I won’t be gone long. I swear. I’m just getting momma.” Ali reassured him, handing him to Max. She shot him an intense look. “Look after him.”

Max nodded. “I will.”

Ali raced into the cabin that was now filled with policemen, and almost threw up when she saw Ashlyn sitting in a pool of blood, staring blankly. Ashlyn only let go of Sierra when a paramedic approached her while two officers handcuffed Stan who was still unconscious. She heard them asking her questions but she couldn't take her eyes off Sierra’s lifeless body. 

It was obvious that Sierra was dead and Ali felt the color drain from her face. She rushed over to Ashlyn. "Back off.” She growled at the police officer. “She's clearly not in any condition to answer questions." 

Ashlyn just looked at Ali as if she wasn't there. "Ash, can you hear me?" Ali tried but it was like Ashlyn was looking right through her. "Ash, baby, please look at me." Ali was beginning to worry when the blonde didn't react at all. “Ashlyn!”

Ashlyn finally blinked and looked at her, recognition flickering in her eyes. “She’s dead.”

“I know.” Ali said solemnly, letting her eyes rake over Ashlyn’s clothes that were covered in blood.

Ashlyn looked over Ali’s shoulder. “Is Milo okay?”

“Milo’s fine.” Ali said softly, placing her hand on Ashlyn’s cheek. She caressed the skin for a moment, trying to get a read on her wife. It was like Ashlyn was barely present and it freaked her out. She had no idea what witnessing Sierra die for a second time had done to her. Letting out a trembling breath, she pulled Ashlyn into a hug but Ashlyn cried out in pain when she touched her arm. It was then that Ali noticed that her sleeve was also drenched in blood and she quickly pulled back, looking at her worriedly. "Ash, what happened?"

Ashlyn looked at her arm and was confused for a second before she remembered. "I guess he hit me when he shot at me.” Her face turned a ghostly pale as her adrenaline began to wear off. “I didn't even feel it." 

Ali’s eyes widened when Ashlyn suddenly slumped over. “Ash!” She brushed the hair away from Ashlyn’s clammy forehead and looked at the paramedic with frantic eyes. “Help! What’s wrong with her?”

The paramedic rushed over to them and felt Ashlyn’s pulse. "She's in shock." He said as he checked over Ashlyn’s arm and grabbed some bandages. “It doesn’t look too deep; probably hurts like hell though.”

"Why did she faint?" Ali asked, clutching Ashlyn’s hand in her own.

"She's been through a lot and lost quite some blood." The paramedic explained as he worked on Ashlyn’s arm. "She should come around soon."

The words hadn't even left his mouth yet when Ashlyn started to stir. "Alex?" She called out in a hoarse voice. Her wound wasn't life threatening so the paramedic stepped back to give them some room. Ashlyn groaned and cracked her eyes open. “Alex? Where’s Milo?”

"I'm right here, sweetie." Ali squeezed her hand. “Milo’s right outside. He’s safe.”

Ashlyn tried to sit up and groaned as a sharp burning pain shot through her arm. "Shit.”

"I bandaged the wound but you're going to need stitches." The paramedic said as he checked Ashlyn's arm again.

Ashlyn grunted in pain and bit her lip in a desperate attempt not to cry. Ali felt her heart sink and she brushed her thumb over Ashlyn’s knuckles in an attempt to soothe her. "You're hurting her." She hissed at the paramedic. "Why didn't you stitch it up while she was unconscious?"

The paramedic ignored her question and packed up his things. "We should really get you to the hospital to do a more thorough examination."

Ashlyn gave him a small nod, too tired and confused to put up a fight. “I want to see my son first.”

“Ashlyn… your clothes.” Ali said softly, not wanting the blood the scare Milo.

Ashlyn looked down at herself and then back up at Ali. The sadness in her gaze broke Ali’s heart. “Help me get out of this shirt.”

Ali sighed but complied, carefully unbuttoning Ashlyn’s shirt for her until she was in just her undershirt which wasn’t stained as badly. She helped her wife stand up and together, they walked out of the cabin. Milo ran up to them when he saw them and Ashlyn dropped to her knees just in time for him to jump into her arms. Ali dropped to her knees next to them and wrapped her arms around her family, crying tears of relief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reunited at last. The story is almost at its end.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for disappearing! Thanks for your comments. Here's the final chapter.

Chapter 24

Ali knelt besides Milo's bed, stroking his hair and watching him sleep. She had barely been able to take her eyes off him since they found him. After both him and Ashlyn had been examined at the hospital, they were allowed to go home. Ashlyn had stopped at McDonald’s on the drive to their house, but Milo had only taken a couple of bites of his burger before he promptly passed out, exhausted. 

"We need to talk, Alex." Ashlyn said softly to get her attention.

"I can't leave him.” Ali replied with a sigh. “What if he wakes up and I'm not here?” 

Ashlyn knelt next to her and gently rubbed her back with the hand that was attached to her good arm. "We'll be in the room next door. He'll be fine. I need to talk to you." 

When Ali looked at her and saw the desperation in her eyes, she relented. "Okay." 

She allowed Ashlyn to guide her into their bedroom where she sat down on the bed, watching Ashlyn pace in front of her. Finally, she looked at her. "A lot has happened between us in the past two days, Alex.” She said, her voice cracking, and Ali looked down at the floor because the things that had happened between them were painful and she wasn't sure if she wanted to rehash it all. Ashlyn sighed shakily and knelt down in front of her, placing her hands on her thighs. "I don’t want it to stand between us. I won't have this destroy us. I’ve hurt you in so many different ways in the past but I never really understood what it did to you. When you said you didn't trust me and went up that path by yourself…”

"I'm sorry..." 

Ashlyn shook her head, stopping her. "Please let me finish. I have to get this out.” Ali nodded, covering Ashlyn’s hands with her own, giving her the courage to go on. "You told me you didn't trust me and although it hurt to hear you say it, in a way it was also a good thing because I needed to know what it felt like. You've been so patient and so selfless under some of the most difficult circumstances and even during times when I thought I had lost you, I knew that you were still there for me when I needed you." 

She paused to blink back her tears, finding comfort in the feeling of Ali rubbing soothing circles on her palms. "When Sierra came to town, I hid it from you because I wanted to have the option to deal with her return without also facing my commitment to you. I'm sorry, babe, but it's true. But when you found out and I realized what I could lose, everything became so clear to me. I wanted you. I still do. I want your trust and faith back. I know these are things that I can't get with words. I'll have to earn them.” 

“Ash…” Ali whispered, but Ashlyn shook her head again.

She reached up to tenderly touch Ali’s cheek. "Give me a chance to prove my love to you again. Not a chance with your head, but a chance with your heart. I know you think the worst is over and that we can move on and I feel that too… but the pain that my insecurities have caused can’t just be forgotten. We have a son and it's important that we remain emotionally healthy and solid for him." 

Ali fought hard to find the words to express everything in her heart but she couldn't. Ashlyn was being open with her and she was right, her heart didn't fully trust her. Still, she loved her and would do anything to move forward from this. Together. 

"I haven't been perfect either. I made mistakes too... With Stan... But Ash, this thing with Sierra uncovered some old wounds for me. People in my life that I was supposed to trust failed me. My parents, Kyle, and then you. I keep my pain hidden. It's not a conscious act but just something that I learned to do at an early age and now it comes naturally." She leaned into Ashlyn’s touch, her eyes traveling to the door. "But having Milo, becoming a mother, it changed me. Milo's happiness and safety is more important than my own. He was attacked and my instincts told me to fight even you if it meant protecting him. It kills me to know that if we had been stronger together, there’s a chance none of this would’ve happened.”

When she looked into Ashlyn’s eyes again, she could see the fear and the guilt in them, and her heart squeezed painfully in her chest. She took her wife’s hand that was still placed on her cheek in her own and brought it to her lips, kissing it gently. “Tell me what happened to Sierra.”

Ashlyn glanced away. “I watched her die.”

Ali squeezed her hand. “And how did that make you feel?”

"Guilty and..."

“And what?” Ali frowned when tears gathered in Ashlyn’s eyes, and she patted the space next to her. “Hey, come sit with me.”

Ashlyn did as requested, staring down at her lap. “Does it make me a bad person that I’m relieved she’s gone?”

“Oh honey, no.” Ali brushed the hair out of Ashlyn's face, stroking her cheek with the back of her hand. “You’re not a bad person. Never.”

Ashlyn drew in a trembling breath. "This is it, Alex. It’s finally over. I loved her and I wanted her to survive, but I’m so tired of battling my past and having it affect our present." 

Ali smiled sadly. "I know. Sierra was your past and me and Milo are your present. When you closed off from me after finding out Sierra was alive, when you pulled away from me when we tried to make love, when you defended her to me when I said she was dangerous... I felt like everything you were doing was driven by your need to hang onto the past. Does that make sense?" 

Ashlyn nodded and fidgeted with her hands, still not looking at her, and Ali knew that it was because she was scared. “What do you want now, Alex?" 

Ali scooted closer to Ashlyn, pressing her cheek against her shoulder. "I want us to heal. I want us to get counseling along with Milo. I want you to see me as more than someone you need to protect. I want you to see me as an equal and treat me that way.”

Ashlyn’s eyes met hers, relief evident on her face. "I can do that.” 

Ali smiled softly and pressed a kiss to Ashlyn’s lips. “We’ll get through this, okay?”

Before Ashlyn had the chance to reply, a scream cut through the air and they both jumped up, running towards Milo’s room. Ali was the first one to get to the door and when she swung it open, she found Milo sitting up in his bed, crying. 

She rushed over to him and pulled him into her arms. “It’s okay, baby. You were just having a nightmare. You’re safe.”

She repeated this mantra as Milo rested his head against her chest, whimpering softly until he eventually fell back asleep. 

Ali looked up at Ashlyn in concern. "Ash, what exactly did he see? Did he see you shoot the man?” 

Ashlyn sat down next to them, stroking her son’s arm. "I’m positive he didn't see anything. When I got to him, his head was buried in his lap and it took a moment for him to know it was me. I don't know what all he went through while he was with them but I think we shouldn’t wait with finding him some help." 

Ali nodded in agreement and rubbed his back. "I want him to sleep with us tonight." 

“Of course.” Ashlyn said softly, following Ali as she carried Milo into their bedroom. 

He didn't wake as she put him on the bed and soon they were all cuddled up together. 

Ali looked at Ashlyn, offering her a small smile. "Thank you for what you said earlier. I feel like we understand each other." 

Ashlyn returned the smile. "We are well on our way, Alex, I promise you that.”

\----

Months later.

Ali woke up with a smile on her face. Today was her and Ashlyn’s anniversary. Ashlyn had surprised her with a trip to Jamaica and they had both been terrified to leave Milo behind, but he was doing a lot better and their counselor had told them that it was necessary to give him a little independence again. He was sleeping in his own bed again and the bedwetting and nightmares had stopped. He still had anxiety at times but it was brief.

Still, he cried and clung to them when they dropped him off at Max and Kyle's, but he eventually calmed down when Ashlyn took him outside and had a private conversation with him. He came back inside looking much happier and quietly headed to Noah's room. Ali wasn’t sure what Ashlyn had told him but she was grateful nonetheless. 

She was so happy that Kyle had come back to Max. It seemed like everything that happened with Milo had brought him a sense of reality and he had taken the first plane back home as soon as he found out. It had taken a while for Max to forgive him, but they were now doing better than ever. Ali was just glad that his constant indecisiveness seemed to be gone. 

Things with her mother were still tense. Ashlyn and her had agreed to allow her to see Milo every now and then, simply because they didn’t want to hurt him by suddenly pulling her out of his life completely, but they were cautious and Ali wasn’t ready to forgive her. Maybe some day she would be but not now.

The sun that poured into their bungalow was warm and inviting. Ali looked at the sheer draping that surrounded the bed and smiled because everything in this tropical paradise exuded romance. Last night, Ashlyn had taken her to a barbeque on the beach and they had eaten grilled conch out of the shell. They had danced to the reggae music from the live band and watched the sunset together. 

Ashlyn had ended up drinking so much Jamaican rum that Ali had to half carry her back to their private bungalow, but she didn’t mind. The night had been perfect.

She turned her head to Ashlyn who was cuddled up against her and smiled softly. Ashlyn had one arm draped over her waist and her head was resting on her chest. Her breaths tickled Ali's skin and Ali could tell that she was still fast asleep.

She brought one hand up to Ashlyn's cheek and let her fingers lightly trace the outline of her wife’s jaw before she stopped to scratch at a sensitive spot just behind her ear. Ashlyn let out a mumble of protest and pressed her face further into Ali's chest.

"I know you're awake." Ali smirked, poking Ashlyn's sides, making her squirm.

"Sleep." Ashlyn murmured, rolling off Ali and onto her stomach, burying her face in her pillow.

Ali rolled over as well and climbed half on top of Ashlyn. She brushed Ashlyn’s hair aside and teasingly ghosted her lips over the warm skin of her neck. When Ashlyn showed no signs of responding, Ali ran her hands down her wife’s sides and began to tickle her, until she squealed and started to wiggle underneath her, trying to escape.

"Alex!" She whined. "It's too early for this!"

“Fine, big baby.” Ali chuckled in amusement as she climbed off her. “That’s what you get for drinking so much.”

Ashlyn groaned playfully and rolled over so that they were lying face-to-face. “Happy anniversary.”

Ali’s lips curled up into a lazy smile. “Happy anniversary, Ash.” 

She felt butterflies in her stomach at the loving look on Ashlyn’s face. They stared into each other's eyes for a while, bright hazel into warm brown, as if they were having a silent conversation. Ashlyn started to lean in closer and their lips lightly brushed together until Ali applied more pressure, capturing Ashlyn's bottom lip between her own and sucking gently.

They pulled back and Ali grazed her hand over Ashlyn’s cheek. "I love you.”

"I love you too." Ashlyn whispered, giving her another sweet peck on the lips. 

Before Ali had the chance to respond, Ashlyn wrapped her arms around her waist and rolled them over, effectively pulling Ali on top of her. A squeal escaped Ali's lips before she could stop it and she rested her head on Ashlyn's shoulder, their legs tangling together. Ashlyn brushed Ali's hair aside and tenderly kissed her cheek, making Ali smile a bit. "Ash, what are you doing?"

"I just felt like holding you for a while." Ashlyn told her innocently. "Is that okay?"

Ali felt her heart expand in her chest. She sighed happily and nuzzled her nose against the side of Ashlyn's neck, inhaling her scent. Ashlyn slipped her hand underneath the brunette's t-shirt and gently stroked her back, rubbing small circles into the warm skin. They didn't say anything for a long time, both simply enjoying being with each other.

"Baby?" Ali called out softly, kissing the underside of Ashlyn's jaw. Ashlyn blinked slowly and made a noise of acknowledgement. Ali pulled back slightly to meet hazel eyes that were clouded over with emotion and she frowned worriedly. "What were you thinking about?"

Ashlyn's hand came to a rest on the small of Ali's back as she blushed and shyly stared back at her. "About you." She admitted quietly. Ali grinned and her hands traveled down to Ashlyn’s sides. An involuntary giggle left Ashlyn's lips when Ali began to tickle her again. "Alex! Not again!"

"You're such a dork." Ali teased, watching in amusement as Ashlyn squirmed beneath her, trying to move away from her hands. It wasn't until Ashlyn's face started to color a deep shade of red that Ali decided to take pity on her wife and ceased her tickle attack. She gave Ashlyn a moment to catch her breath before pressing a light kiss to her lips. "A ridiculously cute dork."

Ashlyn smiled and her eyes held so much love that it was Ali's turn to blush. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

"What are we doing today?" Ali asked.

"It's a surprise." Ashlyn told her with a smirk. Ali’s brow furrowed as she prepared herself to protest but Ashlyn stopped her. "Don't even bother. I'm not telling you anything."

"But babe…" Ali whined pathetically. "The suspense is already killing me!"

Ashlyn chuckled. "Dramatic much?"

\-----

"Babe are you ready?" Ashlyn asked as she made her way towards the bedroom. They had spent the day in bed, enjoying each other's company in more ways than one, and Ashlyn couldn't wait to show Ali the surprised she had planned for the evening. A smile lit up her face when she found Ali standing in front of the mirror. "You look beautiful."

“Thanks.” Ali smiled and walked over to her. “Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

Ashlyn smirked. “Nope.” 

Ali sighed but accepted her defeat. They both grabbed a jacket before leaving the bungalow and started to make their way towards the car they had rented. Ashlyn quickly walked around the vehicle to open the door for Ali and the brunette squeezed her hand in silent appreciation before letting go of it and sliding into the passenger's seat. 

After a short drive, the car came to a stop and Ashlyn turned in her seat to face Ali. She leaned forward to press a chaste kiss to Ali’s cheek before whispering, "Close your eyes."

"Why?"

"Just do it, Alex." Ashlyn smiled.

Ali looked at her for a moment before reluctantly doing as she had been told. Ashlyn got out of the car and made her way over to Ali's door. She opened it and reached for Ali's hand, giving it a soft squeeze in reassurance. Once they were both steadily standing on the pavement, Ashlyn moved to stand behind Ali and reached up to cover her wife’s eyes with her hands.

"I wasn't going to open my eyes." Ali protested with a small smile.

Ashlyn kissed her shoulder. "I'm just making sure."

As Ashlyn carefully guided Ali's steps, Ali could hear the sound of water coming closer. Her brow furrowed in curiosity and her fingers curled around Ashlyn's wrists for no other reason than that she felt like holding onto her in some way or another as they continued to walk slowly. 

Finally, they slowed down to a stop. "Ready?"

"Yes." Ali told her quickly, barely able to contain her excitement. Ashlyn removed her hands and Ali blinked a few times before taking in her surroundings. They were standing on a dock, overlooking water on which boats were lined up. “A boat?”

Ashlyn nodded giddily. "Come on, let me show you."

They climbed aboard and Ali’s eyes wandered around curiously. There was a table set for two, red rose petals covered the floor and music played softly in the background. “This is amazing, Ash." She whispered in awe, tightening her hold on Ashlyn's hand. "How did you manage this?”

Ashlyn led her to the table. “I’m the queen of surprises.”

They both sat down and Ashlyn frowned at the lobster on her plate, making Ali laugh. "Grab them like this, child." She teased, and Ashlyn watched her as she picked up her crackers before following her lead. 

Ali laughed through most of dinner as Ashlyn tried to eat her lobster before finally giving up. Ali got up and slid onto Ashlyn's lap, cracking the claws to get Ashlyn more meat, and ultimately feeding her. 

She raised her eyebrows when she felt Ashlyn trying to unzip her dress and slapped her hand away. "No dessert yet." 

"Why?" Ashlyn pouted. 

"Because it’s time for your present." 

She reached over to her purse and pulled out an envelope, handing it to Ashlyn who looked at her suspiciously before taking it. She opened it and pulled out the document. It took only moments to see that it were Ali’s pregnancy test results and she looked up with wide eyes. 

Ali smiled. "Now who's the queen of surprises?" 

It took a moment for Ashlyn’s mind to register what was happening but when it did, she nearly squealed with happiness and leaned in to place sloppy kisses all over Ali's face. Ali scrunched up her nose and laughed softly, feeling her heart swell with love at her wife’s excitement. 

"I’m so, so happy." She smiled widely after she had ceased her attack of kisses. 

“Good because you can’t back out now.” Ali joked. 

Ashlyn leaned closer, bringing their lips together for a slow kiss, and Ali melted into her touch. When oxygen became a necessity, Ashlyn broke the kiss, and, with their faces still close together, their noses touching, she quietly said, “We’ll have a wonderful life together. You, me, Milo and the baby.”

Ali’s face lit up with a smile. “Yes we will.”


End file.
